Are America's Vegetables as Safe as They Should Be?

Making News

UN Says Death Toll in Iraq Much Higher than Previously Reported ()

In Iraq during July and August the death rate averaged almost 100 a day.  Torture by sectarian militias is "out of control."  The "generalized breakdown of law and order" is a serious challenge" to the country's institutions. That's from a report by the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq's Human Rights office. 

Guests:

• Richard Oppel: Reporter for the New York Times

Links:

• Oppel's article on UN findings of Baghdad death toll

Main Topic

Are America's Vegetables as Safe as They Should Be? ()

The latest count in the E.coli outbreak is one dead and 146 suffering from cramps, diarrhea and kidney trouble. The "smoking gun" is a bag of contaminated spinach found in the refrigerator of a sick patient in New Mexico. It came from somewhere in California's Salinas Valley, where three-quarters of America's spinach and lettuce are grown. But officials may never know from which farm or how the contamination occurred. They do know that this is the ninth time in 11 years that a dangerous strain of E. coli has been traced to Salinas Valley spinach or lettuce. Who's in charge of protecting consumers from poisoned food? How stringently are standards enforced?  Is it time to change the way food is grown and distributed?

Guests:

• Patty Lovera: Assistant Director of Food & Water Watch
• Trevor Suslow: Microbial Food Safety Researcher at UC Davis
• David Gombas: VP of Scientific and Technical Affairs for the United Fresh Produce Association
• Kristie Knoll: Co-owner of Knoll Farms
• Bob Scowcroft: Co-founder of the Organic Farming Research Foundation

Links:

• US Department of Agriculture
• Los Angeles Times article on pervasiveness of E. coli in Salinas Valley waterways
• Partnership for Food Safety Education (Fight Bac)
• LocalHarvest

Reporter's Notebook

Diplomacy and Political Theater at the United Nations ()

This week, the United Nations has been a forum for America-bashing by the leaders of Iran and Venezuela. Speaking to the General Assembly, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez branded President Bush "the devil," name-calling former President Clinton called "undignified and not helpful." But Venezuela is Latin America's leading candidate for one of five rotating seats on the Security Council. What will that mean for the Council and choosing a new Secretary General?

Guests:

• Paul Kennedy: Professor of International Security Studies at Yale University