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Alas, another pet food recall fills the headlines.  And all the loving, conscientious people in the industry are scrambling to know what to do – and how — to fix whatever’s wrong with the supply chain that helps all of us feed our loved ones.

What you’re about to read is a different perspective on all of what’s happening around us in the industry.   My hope is that when you’re finished reading here, you’ll want to add to the collective thought about food, safety, and nutrition.

My perspective starts with this idea:  In our zeal to fix what we think we understand is the culprit bacterium of the day, we may be throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater when we believe that the answer to Salmonella in our food is pressure processing that essentially sterilizes.  

ALL of what you’re about to read is based upon a presumption that I believe is a safe one.  That presumption is that we just don’t know enough about how microbes work symbiotically,  collectively, suppressively, and synergistically in the bodies of living things to be able to determine which ones should be eradicated from our foods.  Certainly, we should think very carefully about sterilizing our foods using either excessive heat or excessive pressure (both of which, incidentally, immobilize enzymes, too.)

Microbes are present in virtually all living things.  Mammalian immune systems strive to reach a manageable point of  suppression of microbes that may be virulent, but never eradicates  them from the host organism.  And, there’s strong evidence that microbes work symbiotically with their hosts and with one another in many living systems.

Salmonella is the culprit of the day.  But that spotlight has been shared with E. Coli, and will likely be shared Campylobacter or another bacterium at some time.  News of sickened humans and pets is tragic and I, in no way, wish to suggest that we should overlook outbreaks of illness caused by negligence or error in the way that our industries handle foods. 

But sterilizing our food of all microbes before we consider it safe to eat may create a bigger demon than the one we think we’re banishing.

Did you know:

• that bacteria produce various types of natural antibiotics, some of which we have yet to discover;
• that bacteria manufacture various types of enzymes;
• that even bacteria considered virulent when present in sufficient numbers to cause illness may work to suppress the virulence of another microbe;
• that E.Coli is present in the digestive tract of virtually every living mammal and at least one serovar of E. Coli may aid in the production of Adenosine Thiamine Triphosphate in mammals

For clarity’s sake, please understand that I’m not suggesting that all bacteria are desirable in our foods.  Certainly, the virulence of  E. Coli O157:H7 is a stark and clear reminder of the dangers that lie in the microbial world.  But consider this: canines and humans alike would have no resistance to any bacterium or virus protein if  they were never encountered .

So here comes the most controversial of the points I wish to make.  It may be more worthwhile and useful for us to find a way to manage the presence of microbes in our food, instead of trying to eradicate them.  By properly managing the food production chain — including pre-testing foods before they enter the processing cycle, we could divert food sources with detected dangerous levels of virulent microbes, and sterilize those foods only, perhaps mixing them back into a batch of foods containing safe levels and natural compositions of microbes.

Otherwise, we may be creating food sources that fail to initiate and maintain necessary metabolic & and biological processes so subtle - and poorly understood – that they defy articulation.

We’re just not that smart about all of this.