2008 has been a tough year for the several segments of our country including our foodsupply. Contaminated tomatoes, jalapenos, beef and spinach have all taken their lumps this year and with the ever growing news from China'sbaby formula containing melamine the alarm is sounding louder than ever for new reform to our food safety regulations.
Donna Garren, vice president of health and safety regulatory affairs for the NRA is quoted in a recent article in Nation's Restaurant News saying,"We have a consumer confidence crisis". This is truly troublesome to hear, for years we have taken food safety for granted in this country, we believe that the government will take care of us. The Food and Drug Administration is only responsible for 80 percent of the food eaten in the U.S. The department of Agriculture is also has some food safety responsibility and has greater better resources, why aren't they held more accountable.
This is a election year and politicians will be looking for bills to support, there have already been at least 10 hearings in congress this year on specific food safety systems. One of these bills is the Safe Feast Act. If signed into law, all imported goods would adhere to the FDA's safety and quality standards for domestic products. This would also give the FDA the authority to order recalls on contaminated products from our food supply. This seems to be a quality start to the overall problem.
Every foodservice operator and manufacturer is well aware of the effect of being involved in a food safety outbreak can do to their bottom line. So it is up to the operator and manufacturer to be responsible and cognizant of their practices and who they buy from. The government is trying, but can't catch everything, so in year of economic turmoil and elections let's not lose sight of the simple things like, safe food.
We at "Nourish the Thought" would be curious to hear any thoughts from you on how our country can combat food safety in the future.
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