Tainted Fruit - Watch Out For This Hidden IngredientHeather Callaghan A 10-year-old girl has a history of asthma, seasonal allergies and anaphylaxis when exposed to cows milk or penicillin. She sat down to eat a blueberry pie, with none of those ingredients. One bout of anaphylactic shock later, led allergist researchers to dig deeper for the trigger ingredient. What they found concerns us all, and youll never find it on a label. And not its not just pesticides. People with food allergies always have to watch what they eat. Now, they may have to watch what their fruits and vegetables eat, as it seems its possible to have an allergic reaction to antibiotic residues in food. An article published in the September issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), examines the case of a 10-year-old girl who had a dangerous reaction after eating blueberry pie. After weeks of testing on both the young girl and a sample of the pie, the article authors decided that what had caused the reaction was a streptomycin-contaminated blueberry. Streptomycin, in addition to being a drug used to fight disease, is also used as a pesticide in fruit to combat the growth of bacteria, fungi, and algae. How many people were to assume antibiotics were used in pesticidesin fruit? But even if it doesnt cause a reaction, no doubt people would like to know when they are eating this medication, especially in the face of antibiotic resistance concerns. Unfortunately, this concerns some organic produce as well. Allergist Anne Des Roches, MD,FRCP, lead study author said: The authors note that new regulations from the Food and Drug Administration may help to reduce antibiotic contaminants in food, which will help reduce antibiotic resistance and may also help reduce this type of event. James Sublett, MD, ACAAI president-elect said: Just a couple other fruits known to harbor streptomycin are organic apples and pears. Tetracycline and streptomycin are sprayed on organic apple and pear orchards to prevent fire blight, which can wipe out a whole orchard. This exemption is allowed under organic standards, as a replacement wasnt initially made when fire blight broke out. The upcoming ban on tetracycline on apple/pear orchards this October has possibly pushed researchers into finding a suitable replacement, an allegedly safer version of copper solution, for what its worth. When popular astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson spoke against critics of GMOs, he scoffed: If youre the complainer type, go back and eat the apples that grow wild theyre something thats this big [mimes tiny area with hands] and theyre tart theyre not sweet like red delicious apples. We manufacture those. Thats a genetic modification. No, its really not. But this was his way of demonstrating progress to ridicule those who have valid concerns about questionable food practices by painting them as Luddites in stark contrast. But I dont see the progress in a large, sweet apple if were unwittingly being dosed with un-prescribed, unlabeled antibiotics. Heather Callaghan is a natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work atNaturalBlaze.com and selfnewsPost.com. Like at Facebook. Recent posts byHeather Callaghan: 