It turns out that sailors eating produce from Germany didn’t really have to worry too much about the E. Coli outbreak that has caused dozens of deaths and thousands of illnesses.
When German officials said that cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce were carrying the harmful bacteria, the Defense Logistic Agency Troop Support yanked the produce from their European contract, Fleet Forces Command commander Adm. John Harvey wrote on his blog. Meanwhile, 6th Fleet shot out a message to either toss or clean the veggies with sanitizers, while Supply Systems Command made sure that galleys on sea and land were aware of the problem and responding appropriately.
Later, the Germans cleared the cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce, blaming bean sprouts instead. So, the three came back. It turns out that the sprouts, while a problem for many in Europe, were not a problem for sailors: Defense Department doesn’t get sprouts from Germany.
So if you’re in uniform and in Europe, keep on enjoying the L and the T in your BLT, as well as your cucumbers and bean sprouts … as long as you’re getting your produce from base or at sea.
