Three Things My Dog Taught Me About Real Estate
July 18th, 2007 categories: Real Estate
Rooting Out the Rotten Tomatoes
By CLAIRE SUDDATH
So how much damage can a few rotten tomatoes really do? The tomato-linked salmonella outbreak announced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 3 has claimed 228 victims in 23 states over 58 days (and counting). It has put 25 people in the hospital and may have had a role in hastening the death of a cancer patient. And then there’s the flurry of panic as many of the tomatoes that American consumers take for granted every day suddenly disappear — from McDonald’s hamburgers; from the salsa at Chipotle Mexican Grill; from Burger King, Taco Bell and Sonic; and from the grocery shelves at Kroger, Wal-Mart and Target. Didn’t we just go through this with bagged spinach? With peanut butter? With pet food?
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Because the FDA’s tomato-recall recommendation is so specific — including only three types, grown in certain regions during a certain time — and because many national chains pulled their tomato stock within days of the announcement, most of the infected samples have likely been removed. But the outbreak remains ongoing; its source has not yet been determined, and the government is investigating new cases every day. It may be a few more weeks before the delicious staple fruit is given the all-clear.
Taking tomatoes off shelves and menus may contain the outbreak, but it doesn’t explain it. On May 22, the New Mexico Health Department notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that it knew of seven people recently infected with Salmonella Saintpaul, an unusual strand of the bacteria that accounted for only 400 of the 1.4 million cases of salmonella infection reported last year. And it was precisely because occurrences of the Saintpaul strand are so rare that the report caught the CDC’s attention. When Texas and a few other states reported cases of people being infected by bacteria with the same “genetic fingerprint,” a multistate search for Salmonella Saintpaul was launched. While the CDC tracked reported illnesses, the FDA interviewed victims to find out what they had eaten (and where). The common answer was tomatoes.
There have been 13 outbreaks of salmonella in tomatoes since 1990, which puts the fruit on the list of high-risk foods that are prone to infection. But unlike the bagged spinach from the 2006 E. Coli scare, the tomatoes don’t come with a traceable bar code. “When you’re dealing with tomatoes, it is much, much more complex,” explains Dr. David Acheson, the FDA’s associate commissioner for foods. The FDA’s great tomato hunt has an ever-expanding list of suspects. A salmonella victim can point to the supermarket (or restaurant) that sold the offending fruit, but that store probably sources its tomatoes from several suppliers, each of which uses several distributors — and distributors buy from any number of growers.
“Each set of questions just multiplies into a fan of information that has to be sorted through to understand where the links cross over,” says Acheson. Although the FDA has managed to rule out some regions — northern Florida is safe because its tomatoes weren’t ready for harvest at the time of the outbreak — it will be some time until the true source is found. “We’re not quite there yet,” says Acheson, “but we’re getting very close.” But Dr. Ian Williams, chief of the CDC’s OutbreakNet team, warns that the source may never be found due to the fruit’s short shelf life. “You don’t expect to find an infected tomato sitting on someone’s counter 10 days after the outbreak,” says Williams.
Still, the lag time between the initial outbreak and the government’s reaction is startling: the first Salmonella Saintpaul victim fell ill on April 16, but the FDA didn’t announce the tomato link until June 3. Williams says part of the problem identifying salmonella outbreaks is that a lot of victims don’t see the symptoms — diarrhea, fever, vomiting — as sufficiently severe to warrant a visit to the doctor, and so they go undiagnosed. “There may be a delay in reporting outbreaks because people do not have a stool specimen tested,” he says. Officials have not yet identified an infected tomato, and because of the fruit’s short shelf life, they probably never will.
The FDA unveiled a tomato-safety initiative in 2007 that sought to identify causes of salmonella infection, but Acheson admits that studying preventive techniques doesn’t help the FDA deal with outbreaks. The FDA has no plans to change the initiative in the face of the recent outbreak.
Even if the FDA can pinpoint the source of the outbreak, it’s hard for consumers to know where their tomatoes are grown. Certain imported foods are required to carry country-of-origin labels, but that doesn’t apply to domestic produce. “I’m not aware of any tomato outbreak that was not domestic,” says Acheson. There is no such thing as a mandatory state-of-origin label for food, and federal authorities have yet to create such a law. “Saying ‘product of the U.S.’ isn’t necessarily going to confer safety,” he says. So much for reassurance.
Vi ste jeben.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 18th, 2007 at 11:26 am and is filed under Real Estate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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I’ve had the utmost pleasure of working in partnership with the dog. You’re right…he’s fun, always shows you a smile, always pleasing to the people around him, and takes his duties seriously. I KNOW that when I throw that ball into the pool, he’s going to dive in, retrieve it, shake himself off…and eagerly start all over again.
Oh…and the dog’s wife? Of course she’s receives the benefits…she taught the Dog!
Carl, I’m so glad you’re my realtor of choice! Hey, I just accidentally dropped my tennis ball in my swimming pool….
Loved this! One thing you should know though - I forgot to put my information in (only commented) and it wouldn’t send it out (duh), but it also wouldn’t let me go back to correct it.
On the other side — ready to give me some media/web instruction?:)
John
So, it seems to me that the same could be said about what dogs teach us about being husbands and fathers.
Does that mean that all good realtors are good husbands and fathers, or is that only the case with Carl and me? (even though I am not a realtor, but I did have a Golden Retriever for 17 years!) Perhaps its only true of realtors who own a golden retriever. As for the rest of us dog lovers, well, lets just say putting up with the puppy months, doing poop patrol in the yard, staying current with all the shots and pills, keeping them fed, giving them a clean dry place to live, passing out treats even when they dont deserve them, apologisng to the neigbors when they leave a blessing their yard, and loving them even when they do dumb dog things seems to be a metaphor for husband and dad.
Let’s just say that you have gotten funnier over the years!
Also, I’m almost afraid to click on any of the “tomato” options above.
=)
At the risk of offending realtors,dogs and dog owners
, in selecting a realtor one should make sure they are selective of the breed.When looking for a realtor,
in a complimentary way, I am looking for a dog:) For example, I do not want a young puppy that needs to be trained. I do not want a pit bull that can be unpredictable and mean. I do not want a high maintence
dog. Yet, I do not want the all bark no bite dog,
since someone has to do the dirty work of dealing with escrow. In closing, pick Carl The Golden Retiever of Realtors! -Pete
Carl,
Love the analogy! Thanks for all your help with the sell of our house. It was very clear while working with you that you followed the three steps and are truely a professional REALTOR!
Carl, you are a “top dog” in the world of real estate in my opinion. Always on track and on top of your bone. Being an old dog means you do what works. Old dogs stay busy, stay modern and stay viable. Keep up the good work.
Good for a laugh on a cloudy afternoon
Good luck with the blog!
And here I thot dogs just ate your homework. Hmmm… since your “work” is selling “homes”, seems there’s a 4th point in there somewhere. But I can’t figure it out. Great blog, Carl.
Walking the dog around the lake once a day is such fun thing to do. To walk him around the lake twice in one day, what an unselfish thing to do! What a lucky dog!
I can’t wait to get a home big enough for us to get a dog and then my wife can look forward to all of those great benifits you shared. I guess your dog is a good teacher also, because you gave us your very best when helping us find our home.
P.S
I think I’ll enjoy walking the dog when we get our new home sometime in the near future.
Hint Carl. (smile)
Very nice Carl. Seems like everything is in good order. I look foward to our real estate action in the very near furture. Dave
Carl,
I loved your analogy. It reminds me that this shouldn’t be just a description for a great realtor, but it’s a good description of a true friend, as well.
Happy blogging!
Vickey
Hey Carl….
Blog is great…..Here’s a couple of other good lessons to be learned from a dog…..
1) Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
2) If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
3) Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
Carl,
Great blog. I knew you had that special something which was the deciding factor in choosing you as my realtor. DOGS! Who knew? I was the proud owner of a yellow lab for 14 years. We loved her so much. She taught us so much about unconditional love and compassion. Now that she has left us, the 17 year old cat has resumed the role of “I’m the boss now”.
Retrieve away Blogger!
Eileen
Pretty awesome analogy, Carl.
And I must agree, we can learn a lot from a dog. They are loyal and easy to like and smart too. Heeeeeey! Sorta like you! Your dog taught you well!