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• Lodi chase ends in Stockton

• Galt council makes slight change to water use rules

• Local gay couples get marriage licenses

• San Joaquin County Fair kicks off today in Stockton

• Lodi Unified School District passes budget, looks to make process smoother

• Regional Roundup

• Lodi, Calif., police chief visits Lodi, Italy, for celebration

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

• Sacramento cop arrested for alleged kidnapping

November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• The country's mess is our fault (170)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (73)
• Public health care is a Christian option (64)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (50)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (25)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (18)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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The tomato recall

How to protect yourself and your family from unsafe produce

As one who has been involved in the produce industry for almost 24 years now, I have been made more aware than most about the number of produce recalls over the years.

Cantaloupe, bean sprouts, strawberries, lettuce, spinach, alfalfa sprouts and many, many other produce items over the last several years or so have all been associated or blamed for outbreaks in salmonellosis, or salmonella.

Fresh tomatoes are the latest culprits to be blamed for sickening over 150 people all over the U.S.

Salmonella is a bacterial infection that usually involves, at least when fresh produce is concerned, contamination by animal waste. Since the overwhelming majority of fresh fruits and vegetables are grown outdoors, there is always the possibility that animals will "do their business" wherever they happen to be at the time. Sanitary conditions for most field workers too, are often less than optimal.

Large scale outbreaks of salmonella, like this years' tomato recall, are almost always attributed to a contaminated water source. Product that is contaminated in that way is considered toxic.

Salmonella symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. The elderly, very young and those with suppressed immune systems are more at risk to suffer more severely, but those groups are also more susceptible to just about everything in life.

The public is pretty much at the mercy of whoever happens to be preparing their food when they choose to dine out, whether it be a fast food place or fancy diner. The public has little choice but to trust that the food put before them is safe, fresh, washed and handled properly. It should be noted that the U.S. restaurant industry is the safest in the world.

Buying produce at the neighborhood market should be considered safe. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration does periodic testing of growers' fresh fruits and veggies for any number of pesticides and potential bacterial infections, but the FDA has limited power and limited resources considering the incredible amount of product under its purview. Its regard for produce safety has at times been called reactionary rather than preemptive.

If you really want to limit your risk to salmonella, wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly, prepare them with sanitized cutlery and on a sanitized cutting board, and possibly most important, wash your hands before preparing the food. Avoiding cross-contamination, like using the same knife to cut vegetables that you just used to cut meat or chicken is absolutely essential!

Growing your own produce certainly puts one's self in control of your foods environment. Washing and taking care when handling this fresh produce is also a must, however.

Those with pets should exercise extra caution, dogs and cats have little regard as to where they lie down or roll around.

Not every case of abdominal distress should be attributed to salmonella, everyone's body is different. Some people can eat just about anything and feel great, others like myself, can't eat more than couple cherries without experiencing "unfortunate repercussions."

Under the right circumstances, just about anything you eat can possibly make you sick. Practicing good hygiene, using common sense and washing, if not cooking, your fresh fruits and veggies can go a long way in making sure that you and your family thoroughly enjoy dinnertime.

J. Kurt Roberts can be reached at jkurtroberts@sbcglobal.net.