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Voluntary Food Recalls Over?

Mike

Well-known member
7/16/2008 9:11:00 PM Email this article • Print this article
Brown introduces potentially historic food recall bill

JOHN W. URSCH
Staff Writer

WASHINGTON D.C./GREENE COUNTY — United States Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced his introduction of the Safe and Fair Enforcement and Recall for (SAFER) Meat, Poultry, and Food Act that would give federal authorities new power to issue mandatory recalls of tainted food items. The announcement comes on the heels of recent E. coli outbreaks in Ohio and Michigan.

The proposed change is a continuation of the nation’s history of food safety reforms that began in the early 20th Century, sparked by novelist Upton Sinclair’s scathing expose of the meatpacking industry in “The Jungle,” Brown said.

“Too many Ohioans are struggling to afford groceries. They should not also have to worry about the safety of the food on their dinner tables,” Brown said. “Mandatory recall authority is long overdue when it comes to food safety. Delays cost lives. It’s critical that the federal government be equipped with the tools necessary to protect the public.”

Because existing recalls are voluntary at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the FDA requested mandatory recall authority — a power designed to give both agencies the legal authority to require that private companies conduct recalls as necessary during instances of contamination, according to information provided Wednesday by the senator’s office. The USDA has jurisdiction over meat and poultry whereas The FDA regulates fruits and vegetables, he said.

Brown said the proposed change draws upon his analysis of 10 national food-borne illness outbreaks involving recalls in Ohio, outbreaks that affected 217 Ohio residents, resulting in 66 hospitalizations and one death.

Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Sara Morman said E. coli and Salmonella are the primary culprits in Ohio food-sickness cases to date.

Approximately 5,000 Americans die each year from eating tainted food, Brown said, making the problem “clearly a major public health issue.”

There are other countries that have stricter and stronger protections in place, he said.

“The longer we delay, the more people (are) at risk,” the senator said. ” … “I want to make these companies more responsible.”

In terms of cost, the act would not form “some big bureaucracy” but simply expand existing authority.

“There’s not strong opposition from the industry that we see,” Brown said.

Expecting strong overall support for the new food safety act, the task at hand is protecting other products including imports.

“It will always be a struggle … but this is a major step.”

At Wright State University’s Raj Soin College Of Business, Vikram Sethi, advisor to the dean and an expert on supply chain management, said he wholeheartedly supports the proposed act.

“This will truly be a revolutionary step,” Sethi said.

Forced compliance would push private industry to implement guidelines far quicker than if left alone and all recalls would receive the same level of attention, he said.

Greene County Health Commissioner Mark McDonnell said success or failure of the proposal hinges on whether the senator gets adequate funding for increased personnel at local, state and federal health agencies.

“I actually have some mixed feelings about it,” McDonnell said. “We can pull the trigger a little too fast like we did with the tomato recall and find out about other products like peppers. We need to be careful how it’s implemented. Start with local epidemiologists … One more mandate without any funding is pretty much worthless.”

Jamestown resident Tracy Staley said she took four packages of ground beef back to Kroger yesterday after the grocer called her and informed her of a recall. Otherwise, at least one package likely would have been fed to her family at a cookout, Staley said.

The concerned mother said she supports virtually any measure that would increase food safety.
 

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