Personal Injury Law

"Who needs Al-Qaeda when you have got E. coli?"

By Bill Marler, Esq.

I spent most of the week in the 'other Washington.' It all does make you wonder, as one Congressman quipped some time ago: "Who needs Al-Qaeda when you have got E. coli?" What would happen if we stopped the petty bickering and actually did something about food safety like:

Growers:

1. Develop and implement Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point-based systems (and if you can't have HACCP on the farm, say HACCP-based);

2. Conduct microbial testing on soils, water and product on a routine basis;

3. Develop a product coding system down to the unit package level (bag, clamshell) allowing rapid trace back;

4. Support mandatory regulation of the produce industry at Federal, State and local levels; and,

5. Support research to determine the critical values for the safety of food, water, air and soils in farming operations.

Manufacturers:

1. Improve Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point systems;

2. Create a culture of food safety and sanitation within the firm;

3. Institute a profit sharing model to engage employees fully in the health and well-being of the organization;

4. Require all suppliers of raw materials to have HACCP systems in place; and,

5. Audit yourself and your suppliers.

Restaurants:

1. Train and certify managers and train employees in food safety;

2. Create a culture of food safety within the firm;

3. Provide frontline management with the authority, not just the responsibility, for food safety;

4. Provide a line item budget for food safety; and,

5. Provide accessible health insurance for employees.

Regulators:

1. Build win-win industry partnerships while maintaining autonomy to independently protect public health;

2. Provide an outsourced system to maintain inspection schedules, shift cost to industry;

3. Require all operators of all food-related businesses to have a valid, verifiable food safety management system;

4. Develop and implement science-based auditing techniques moving away from the poke-and-sniff inspection models; and,

5. Apply risk assessment to identify high-risk operations for more intensive interventions and strengthen surveillance.

Consumers:

1. Support consumer activist organizations that base their platforms on science and public health protection;

2. Become more knowledgeable about food safety;

3. Use a thermometer when cooking and do not undercook or consume raw high-risk foods such as ground beef, seafood, and chicken;

4. Demand that restaurants be graded for food safety and that the grades be posted; and,

5. Support your Federal, State and local government's efforts in food safety regulation and vote for candidates that value public health protection.

I know, this is not perfect and there are things to complain about, but it is better than doing nothing, which is what we are doing now.

Full post as published by Marler Blog on September 26, 2010 (boomark / email).