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The House passed the The Food Safely Enhancement Act late this afternoon, setting in motion a food safety bill that will require more government inspections and oversight of food manufacturers and give the FDA new authority to order recalls.  This contentious piece of legislation, also known as  H.R. 2749, has received mixed reactions as concerns were raised that livestock ranchers and organic farmers would be adversely and disproportionately affected.  Fortunately, as Jean Halloran pointed out earlier, those issues have been addressed and should not present a major problem.  Instead, the legislation will update and improve FDA oversight of food safety and hopefully reduce the likelihood of dangerous and deadly outbreaks of food-borne illnesses such as salmonella and E. coli, which have been all too frequent lately.

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The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation yesterday that will drastically improve the food safety system in the U.S. by giving the government more power to oversee and enforce food safety standards.  While there is some uncertainty over how the bill will affect small farmers and producers, overall the bill will afford better protection for consumers, and the Consumer’s Union agrees.  We’re only half way through the year and we’ve already had multiple salmonella outbreaks, and a swine flu pandemic that is likely a result of unsanitary farm conditions.  The bill focuses on prevention, and a shared responsibility between the FDA and food manufacturers to keep food safety closely monitored.  It would also give the FDA authority for the first time to order food recalls, impose new civil penalties and require companies to follow food-safety standards.  The improvements will include: Read the rest of this entry >>

The food industry is getting serious about food safety, and by serious I mean they are asking consumers to take on the responsibility of ensuring their food won’t make them sick.  In other words, you only have yourself to blame if you get sick, not the mismanaged, under-regulated, and sprawling mess of an industrial food system.  Feel reassured?  In response to the recent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses, including salmonella and E. coli, manufacturers have conceded that they are unable to guarantee that their long list of ingredients won’t bring lurking pathogen into your home.  So, now you are expected to test, thermometer in hand, to see if their frozen dinners have been microwaved enough to sufficiently destroy harmful bacteria.  Rather than re-evaluate and improve their safety standards or look at the potentially unsafe Read the rest of this entry >>

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Some segments of the food industry have begun to provide their own safety inspections in response to the recent salmonella outbreaks, as the FDA clearly lacks sufficient oversight or funding to monitor adequately.  While it may be encouraging to know that someone is out there in the fields and factories to inspect for safety, you have to wonder how reliable those inspections could be when the companies themselves are footing the bill.  The inspectors for hire probably won’t be nearly as thorough as well coordinated federally organized team could be.  Let’s hope that the Obama Administration is able to reorganize the FDA or develop a new organization that has the funding and personnel necessary to keep a closer eye our food system, and most importantly the ability to hold these companies accountable for any health violations that are discovered. Read the rest of this entry >>

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Pistachios are now being recalled in connection to another possible outbreak of salmonella, according to the FDA, making that one more nut that you should steer clear of these days.  And once again we are reminded of the fragile state of our industrialized food system, following fast on the heels of the tainted peanut fiasco.  The pistachio recall has begun before any reports of illness have surfaced, which is a good indication that the government plans to take a more pro-active approach to food safety, but we need to go further.  The FDA needs to be given more authority to act when corporatations attempt to overlook safety precautions to protect their bottom (line).

Two million pounds of pistachios are being recalled from a processing plant in Terra Bella, California, but companies that use the nuts in their products are also recalling products, including Kraft Back to Nature, Nantucket Brand Trail Mix, and  Kroger Private Selection Shelled Pistachios.  Updates on the recall can be found on the FDA website.  While I certainly hope the recalls don’t harm the sales of responsible companies too much, I would recommend steering clear of pistachios until more information is available.

While this outbreak is apparently unrelated to the peanut contamination, Read the rest of this entry >>

While much of the attention over the peanut-related salmonella outbreak has been given to the FDA’s involvement, or lack thereof, it seems that many safety oversights have been due to insufficient private plant inspections.  According to the New York Times, the private inspectors who are supposedly ensuring our safety and covering ground that the government can’t, have extremely limited plant visits, aren’t required to test for specific threats like salmonella, and are not necessarily qualified to investigate the particular foods they are examining.  What’s even more frightening is that the inspectors are often hired by the major food suppliers they are auditing, and therefore aren’t likely to bite the hand that feeds them.   According to Robert A. LaBudde, a food safety expert who has consulted with food companies for 30 years:

The only thing that matters is productivity…you only get in trouble if someone in the media traces it back to you, and that’s rare, like a meteor strike.

Well, the meteor has hit revealing that our food safety network is dangerously insufficient and in need of a drastic overhaul.  Read the rest of this entry >>

The situation keeps getting worse with the peanut related salmonella outbreak.  Emails discovered by Congressional investigators now show that Stuart Parnell, president of the Peanut Corporation of America, knew about positive test for the bacteria, but chose to cover up the results and focus on profits.  Check out Henry Waxman’s shock as he discovers this appalling corporate cover-up:

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More people are purchasing kosher food for health concerns rather than religious dietary restrictions, according to a recent survey.  The results are not too surprising considering the recent salmonella outbreak and growing concerns over food safety.  Kosher food is generally assumed to be more carefully produced and closely inspected, using rules based on Jewish dietary laws, so to many people it seems a safer bet, regardless of any religious affiliation.  And generally speaking it is.

Unfortunately some kosher-designated farms still operate on such a large scale that the food might not be as safe as you might hope.  This past fall, the New York Times explored a renewed interest in kosher practices that don’t involve factory farms.  Drawing a connection between sustainablity and pious food preparation people are reconsidering what makes something kosher.  Paying closer attention to where our food comes from will benefit us all, whether or not we go for the kosher option. The closer we move towards a more local and sustainable food system, and the further from industrialized food, the safer and healthier we will be.
takepart by learning more about the problems with industrialized food on the upcoming Food Inc. action page.  And share your thoughts on keeping kosher, religiously or not, in the comments section below: Read the rest of this entry >>

Concern continues to grow over peanut product contaminated by salmonella, and now the recall has expanded to include school lunch programs and food banks. No illnesses have been linked to either source yet, but many of the products have been consumed already.  I know, I’ve written quite a bit about this salmonella outbreak, but the situation keeps getting worse and is a clear indication that we need some serious food policy reform in this country.

As the scope of the peanut product recalls continues to widen, the blame may fall not just to the peanut companies, but to the FDA for a lack of sufficient oversight.  Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has proposed dividing the FDA into two branches, with one devoted only to food safety.  Whether or not that will be the answer remains to be seen, but I am glad that the topic of food safety is receiving the national attention it deserves. It’s unfortunate that it has come at the cost of 8 lives and hundreds of people getting sick.

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Responding to the ongoing peanut-related salmonella poisonings, lawmakers pushed for stricter food safety policies today. Hopefully we will see some swift changes, especially after President Obama expressed concerns over his daughters food. Critics argue that because of the economic crisis, attention should be focused elsewhere, but with over 550 people sickened and 8 dead from this outbreak, we are now in a food crisis that can’t be ignored.

We need stricter oversight and safety regulations for processing plants, and increased accountability for companies that lapse. Keep an eye out here at Take Part for more updates.

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