Wrong. And Recent Apple Juice Tragedy Could Have Been Averted

Warning: This product is 100% natural, is not pasteurized and contains no preservatives. It may contain harmful bacteria.

Would you drink apple juice labeled like this? Would you give it to your baby? But the juice wasn't labeled, people did drink it, and now 48 are in the hospital and one--a 16-month-old baby girl from Denver has died.

Such tragedies are senseless. We have the means to prevent them: pasteurization. If pasteurization is not used, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should mandate a warning label on any unpasteurized products.

An E. coli infection (E. coli 0157:H7) is not a simple case of nausea and mild diarrhea. Victims suffer from acute abdominal pain and frequently have bloody stools. It can't be treated by antibiotics.

Children Most Susceptible To E. Coli Complications
The bacteria attach to intestinal cells and produce an extremely potent toxin. Approximately 10% of patients with such infections develop acute kidney failure and other serious problems that can be fatal. Young children are the most susceptible to such complications.

Pasteurization destroys E. coli, and milk pasteurization is mandated in almost every state. It protects against microorganisms like E coli and salmonella and diseases like tuberculosis.

Pasteurization is the destruction of disease-causing microorganisms in a food. It may be accomplished by heating or irradiating the food.

Some people object to heat pasteurization because they say it causes loss of nutrients from the food. This is true, but typically loss is minimal. Fresh orange juice, for example, contains about 125 milligrams of vitamin C per cup; when pasteurized, the juice has about 90. The recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C is 60 mg for an adult, so one glass still provides plenty.

Apple juice is not a major source of Vitamin C, providing only about 5 mg per cup if fresh, and 2 mg if pasteurized. No one should be counting on any sort of unsupplemented apple juice for their vitamin C---pasteurized or not.

Another objection to heat pasteurization is that the flavor of the juice is altered. But if the apple juice is used in multi-juice drink, as it was in the products that caused an E. Coli outbreak in several western states earlier this year, it is unlikely that the flavor change could be detected--even with heat pasteurization.

Pasteurization By Irradiation
An alternative to heat that would preserve flavor is pasteurization by irradiation. Food irradiation was approved by the World Health Organization more than 10 years ago, has been approved by the U.S. government for a variety of foods, and its use has been supported by groups such as the American Medical Association, American Dietetics Association and American Gastroenterological Association. But it is not yet widely used in this country. It is not a heat-producing process, does not make the food radioactive, and will kill E. coli, salmonella and other pathogenic bacteria.

E. coli first came to public attention in 1993 due to an outbreak associated with eating hamburgers. More than 700 people became ill, 178 were hospitalized, 56 children developed kidney failure, and four died. Though similar outbreaks continue to occur, the U.S. food industry and government regulators have not taken full advantage of the technologies that could enhance the safety of our food.

My heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones from E. coli infections. As a scientist, I know the risks associated with unpasturized products. My family and I have enjoyed fresh apple juice, but never again. I am appalled that fresh juice without warning labels is still on the market, and that people are also served under-cooked hamburger.

People must not be mislead into thinking that natural is automatically safe. Technologies are protective. Pasteurization by heat or irradiation destroys bacteria that can lead to illness or death. Health authorities should require safe and adequate processing, and they should move swiftly to permit the safe use of new technologies.

And until such technologies are in place, warning labels should allow people to make informed choices. Consumers should be able to choose safety-enhanced heat or irradiation-pasteurized foods.


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By DR. CHRISTINE BRUHN


Dr. Bruhn, Ph.D., is scientific advisor to the American Council on Science and Health