KEY POINTS:
UNITED STATES - The Mexican fast-food chain Taco Bell was at the centre of America's latest food scare yesterday, as almost 100 people were reported to have fallen sick with an acute bacterial infection after eating contaminated onions.
The chain immediately cut the onions from its menu at all 5800 North American outlets, and closed several dozen branches along the eastern seaboard as a precaution against further possible E.coli infections.
The onion scare follows another outbreak involving the E.coli O157:H7 bacteria, an E.coli strain that originates in the stomachs of grain- and corn-fed cattle. In September, three people died and 200 others fell ill after eating bagged spinach.
According to Michael Pollan, a journalism professor who has written extensively about food safety, the recent problems stem from the intensive, industrial-style agriculture practised in the US.
The E.coli was unknown until cattle were taken away from their grazing grounds, where they ate grass, and pushed into industrial feedlots and fed grain and corn instead.
Federal investigators responding to the Taco Bell outbreak also checked the safety of the chain's cheese and lettuce included in its Mexican-style tacos and burritos.
On Long Island, the family of an 11-year-old boy who fell ill after eating at Taco Bell, filed a suit against the chain alleging negligence. The boy ate three tacos allegedly contaminated with E coli bacteria.
- INDEPENDENT
