New York Times
Produce Becoming Increasing Source for Food Illnesses By MARIAN BURROS Published: November 23, 2003
To consumers who took nutritionists' advice seriously and began eating more fruits and vegetables,
word that fresh green onions could carry the hepatitis virus came as a shock.
Yet the recent outbreaks of hepatitis A linked to contaminated scallions imported from Mexico, which
have killed three people and sickened hundreds, are only the latest examples in a sharp rise of food-
borne illness from fruits and vegetables. In 2000, the last year for which information is complete,
there were almost as many reported cases of food poisoning from produce as there were from beef,
poultry, fish and eggs combined, according to an advocacy group's compilation of government data.
"It's a huge problem and not one easy to solve," said Dr. Glen Morris, chairman of the department of
epidemiology and preventive medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a former
Agriculture Department official. "Produce is emerging as an important cause of food-borne illness in
this country."
Scientists and some government officials say illnesses have risen sharply because people are eating
more fresh produce and want it year-round, leading to an increase in imports from countries with
less stringent sanitary standards.
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