COLLEGE STATION, Texas — In the last couple weeks there have been salmonella outbreaks in peaches and red onions across the nation.
As produce travels from the fields to your fork, contamination can happen at any time during this process.
“Salmonella is a bacteria. It’s a bacteria that is pretty much primarily from birds, reptiles, amphibians and even rodents. You’re not going to be able to see it and you’re not going to be able to smell it. If there is a contamination for example from salmonella, it would be difficult for anyone to notice," said Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service vegetable specialist Dr. Juan Anciso.
Dr. Anciso says consumers are dependent on each part of the supply chain to follow regulations and guidelines to make sure the produce is clean.
“We do recommend that you still wash all your items at home, even though the bag may say it’s already washed. That is still a good practice, but [if the item is already contaminated]...then it’s unlikely that washing it is going to remove that contamination," said Dr. Anciso.
When salmonella outbreaks occur, the produce usually originates from the same source.
“They all came together in one specific site, or they’re probably sorted. They came to a common place and then they were packaged and moved out across the country. Not all those packages are going to go to their local nearby source because there’s so much. They really go across the whole United States to move all those packages, so they can be consumed immediately," said Dr. Anciso.
Despite salmonella contamination being easily spread across the U.S., Dr. Anciso says consumers shouldn't worry because 99.9 percent of the time food is not contaminated. If you are to fall ill, symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting and fever.