Overhauling The Food Safety System
In the wake of the largest recall in U.S. history, President Obama is taking a strong stance on food safety.
This past Saturday, during his weekly address to the nation, Obama said the food safety system in the U.S. is a “hazard to public health” and in need of an overhaul. He said that his administration is creating a Food Safety Working Group to improve communication among various government agencies, adding that there are too many agencies responsible for food safety, making it difficult to share information.
He also named Margaret Hamburg as the new commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), saying that the agency will change for the better under her leadership.
In addition, Obama announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will take steps to prevent diseased cows from entering the food supply chain and that the FDA will hire more food inspectors—noting that the agency has been under-funded and understaffed in recent years and only about 5 percent of the nation’s 150,000 food processing plants and warehouses are inspected annually.
Perhaps that would have prevented the recall of products with peanuts from the Peanut Butter Corp. of America (PCA). According to Bill Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark, a law firm that is representing some of the victims in the PCA case, the cost to the industry could add up to a half a billion dollars by the time it’s over. These costs will come in the form of litigation, brand defamation and loss of consumer confidence, all of which will impact sales at supermarkets and restaurants.
While most agree that producing safe food requires a multi-layered approach, there is no consensus on what this approach should be.
What do you think of Obama’s choice for commissioner and his plans for the Food Safety Working Group? How will it impact your business?
March 18th, 2009 at 10:03 am
One worry that seems to be overlooked is the seafood coming in to our grocery stores. Sure it may be cool by the time it reaches Safeway or QFC but on the fishing boats it is unregulated, unmonitored and uninspected and frequently unrefrigerated. I’ve been on such boats. Where the government needs to pass legislation it is sadly lacking.