The great tomato sickening illustrates the fundamental problems of the U.S. food system. It's poorly regulated, bizarrely complex and overly industrialized.
There's nothing more illustrative of the way tomatoes are treated like interchangeable parts than the Food and Drug Administration's admission that it may never pinpoint the source of salmonella contamination. There's even speculation that the problem could be originating at a warehouse or through some other food item.
The FDA seemingly has tried to be somewhat open. Parts of the food industry are understandably impatient and trying to cause trouble over FDA advisories that they contend create too much consumer suspicion. We're no fans of U.S. food safety offices, which do at best a mediocre job at home and far worse with imported products. But the heart of the problem for fruits, vegetables and meats alike is the vast production, shipping, repackaging and distribution systems that make serious outbreaks so hard to trace.
Cornell University food systems expert Jennifer Wilkins told a writer for Rodale Institute that problems can happen in small, local food markets, but they are "far easier to trace and have less widespread consequences." There would be costs and inconveniences in a more seasonal, local diet. But the tomato problems are educating us about the costs of industrialized agriculture.
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