Taco Bell begins PR campaign: Our food is safe

Some fans of the chain weren’t concerned about getting sick.

“Even if they don’t know what caused the outbreak, Taco Bell restaurants are probably safer now than before because of all the scrutiny they’ve received,” said Bruce Brandywine, 41, who was one of eight people in line at lunchtime at the Taco Bell in DeWitt, a suburb of Syracuse, N.Y.

Brandywine, a plumber, said he eats at Taco Bell about once a month. He planned to keep eating there, unless another episode of E. coli sickness is reported.

Separately, nearly three dozen people were sickened in recent days with symptoms consistent with E. coli infection after eating at a Taco John’s restaurant in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Authorities are also investigating reports that several other people became ill after eating at one of the chain’s restaurants in Albert Lea, Minn.

On Tuesday, several lawmakers, including Sens. Charles Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton, both Democrats from New York, called on the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create a joint task force to examine the E. coli outbreak and recommend changes in laws and regulations to prevent contamination of food.

After being harvested, most produce is moved to processing plants where it is washed, sorted and cooled for transport to supermarkets or distribution centers around the country.

Major distributors follow testing guidelines at various steps along the chain. For the past decade, all the major restaurant and supermarket chains have insisted that outside auditors monitor suppliers, Silbermann said.

Jim Lugg, food safety chief at Salinas-based produce processor and distributor Fresh Express Inc., said the company has standards in place that cover the entire supply chain.

Jim Prevor, who edits Produce Business magazine and maintains a Web log as The Perishable Pundit, said it’s “almost certainly true” that Taco Bell is safe again because any perishable food that might have been contaminated weeks ago would have been tossed out by now.

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