Food Safety in America: How Safe is Our Food?

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Ten Facts to Know about the U.S. Food Safety System

1. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that each year 76 million American get sick, 325,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die from food-borne hazards. Food-borne illness is surprisingly common in the U.S. and can be as little as mild cramps or diarrhea. It is suggested that countless occurrences go unreported each year because not all food-borne illness is severe enough for treatment and may last for a very short period of time. The individuals most at risk are children, senior citizens, and the immunocompromised. They are much more likely than healthy adults to become severely ill from food-borne hazards.

2. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) handles meat, poultry, and dairy. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) handles everything else. In the period 1990 to 2006, more food-borne illness outbreaks fell under the jurisdiction of the FDA (67%) than under the USDA (27%). Of the country’s food supply, the FDA handles about 80% and the USDA handles 20%.


3. Despite the distribution of outbreaks, the USDA gets twice the budgetary expenditures for food safety programs and inspections that the FDA gets.

4. The FDA inspects food processing facilities once every 10 years. The USDA inspects meat and dairy facilities daily. This is due to the difference in funding.

5. There is confusion and discrepancy over which agency handles certain products. For example, frozen pizza is divided between the agencies based on the pizza toppings. Frozen cheese pizza facilities are inspected by the FDA (about once every 10 years). Frozen pepperoni pizza facilities are inspected by the USDA (daily).

6. The FDA is empowered (by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act) to intervene only when food is found to be adulterated or misbranded. In comparison, the USDA which must approve meat products for them to be sold.

7. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems are currently in place for seafood, juice, meat, and poultry products, but not other products. This analysis system helps to assure safety and quality of food products. 

8. Unfortunately, less than 1 percent of food imported into the U.S. is inspected. Only foreign meat must be approved for sale in the U.S. Additionally, the FDA cannot inspect processing plants in other countries unless invited. This lack in foreign food control can result in a loss in quality and provide a safety risk.

9. The August-September 2006 E. coli in bagged spinach outbreak (that killed three people) was due to contamination of the environment in which the spinach grew. Manure piles were found near the spinach farming operation. E. coli is commonly found in the intestinal tract of animals and humans. Only specific strains, like the E. coli O157:H7 strain found specifically in the gut of cows, causes illness in humans. These “bad” E. coli strains can easily be spread by manure runoff and has become increasingly common in produce-related outbreaks. Unfortunately, although farming falls under the FDA, the FDA has limited control over farming operations.

10. The FDA does not have the power to order a producer to recall any food product found to be contaminated. As wrong as it seems, the FDA cannot immediately force a producer to recall a contaminated food product unless the product is infant formula. Recall is voluntary. If a producer refuses to recall a contaminated product, the FDA can go through legal proceedings to force a recall, but it takes a long time. During an outbreak, waiting to recall a product for weeks or even days can result in more illness and death.

Five Changes in U.S. Food Safety System the will come from the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

FDA Inspectionhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/39736050@N02/4459953776/in/photolist-7N7qSL-dx2DLW-adUW55-bxN2BP-bxN2KT-bjTa7o-dYrBot-8S6p51-9G1r7x-akMbJE-ak7v4x-b6LxfK-bxN2m8-bjT9wf-bjT9L3-bxN2dM-bjT9su-bjT9x5-8S6p7b-8S3iCZ-fL4g9f-fKLEEH-fKLECF-fKLEtT-fKLEBg-fKLEqP-fL4fRE-fL4g19-fKLEJk-fKLEJP-cRFSP9-bNkHrP-8S6p6q-fL4fuC-fL4fZq-9Ttvjy-fKLEun-ac2qjK-8VUWXg-aUvVze-7R7GdY-7R7FJ1-7N6pCr-bSufnp-7R4qHp-cMsNSw-dvEZ5N-bxN2hZ-bxN29V-bjT9zy-bjT9GL

Clearly, the current food safety system has many issues. The FDA has limited funding and resources to properly handle and prevent food-borne outbreaks. The Food Safety Modernization Act, signed in 2011, will provide the FDA with the resources needed to effectively prevent outbreaks rather than simply dealing with the aftermath.

1. The new law will establish minimum standards for the safe production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables. These standards include naturally occurring and introduced hazards. The FDA will address soil amendments, hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animals in the area, and water when inspecting produce farming operations.

2. The new law establishes a mandatory inspection frequency for food facilities. The exact frequency will depend on an individual product’s risk.
 

3. The new law gives the FDA authority to issue a mandatory recall if a company fails to implement a voluntary recall after being asked by FDA. Now, recalls can be implemented sooner in an outbreak.

4. The new law will establish a system that will enhance ability to trace both domestic and imported foods.

5. Under the new law, the FDA will explicitly place the responsibility on importers to verify that their foreign suppliers have adequate preventive controls in place to ensure that the food they produce is safe.

Although we are on the path to positive change in our food safety system, all the changes are still in progress.

Who is to Blame for Meat and Poultry Outbreaks: the producer or the consumer?

Salmonella
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Over a year ago, a Salmonella outbreak affecting 100 people was traced to Foster Farms chicken. In response to the outbreak, Foster Farms did NOT recall their product.  According to Foster Farms, Salmonella is common in all chicken. So ultimately, the responsibility falls on the individual or individuals that prepare the food. This means avoiding cross contamination caused by using a single knife or cutting board for multiple food products, cooking products to the recommended temperature to kill pathogens, maintaining sanitary conditions in the food preparation area, and practicing good personal hygiene (washing hands). But is this the right mentality to have?

Who do you think should be held responsible? The consumers that do not properly handle meat and poultry to kill potential pathogens or the producers that provide raw products that they know are contaminated?