The E. Coli Scare has alerted the Saudis.
Rumors of an E. coli virus doing the rounds in Europe forced the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to put a stop to all imported vegetables from the West. The infected vegetables were cucumbers. The Minister of Agriculture, Fahd Balghunaim stated that: ” The import ban would continue until the source of the virus becomes clear.” The E. Coli virus is very harmful and can cause food poisoning.
Jabir Al-Shahri, the Assistant Deputy Minister for Livestock, spoke of how, “The ban was imposed on the basis of information received from the EU, WHO and the European Center for Disease Control.” 85% of the cucumbers in the Kingdom are home-grown. The remaining vegetables are imported from Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Yemen and Jordan. The initiative to market organic produce is still intact though.
The saying that Nature is never wrong should always be supplemented with another quote. And that is that just because it is natural doesn’t mean it is good for you. The E.Coli Scare has proven the second dictum beyond any reasonable doubt.