Salmonella and food poisoning are becoming commonplace notions in contemporary American households and dormitories. Growing up, we were always warned of the potential hazards of eating undercooked, too-pink chicken, and we were told not to lick the cake batter from the mixing spoon because of raw eggs. During the past few years, however, we’ve had to swear off foods we never before associated with salmonella, such as spinach and jalapenos. The most recent recall banished peanut butter from our pantries.
What happened? In this particular case, the Peanut Corporation of America in Blakely, Ga. made several shipments of contaminated peanut products to schools and nursing homes. On 12 different occasions, the peanuts in this facility tested positive for salmonella. But when retests of those same batches came up negative in another lab, the plant went ahead and shipped the peanuts anyway.
Needless to say, people began falling ill. Local health departments reported the cases to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as the numbers of illnesses rose. After talking to patients and asking them to recall their food choices, peanut butter finally was determined as the culprit. Agents then began an investigation of the Peanut Corporation of America, in which they found filthy conditions and several violations. The plant was shut down, and the Food and Drug Administration issued a recall of more than 125 products containing the contaminated peanuts. Unfortunately, more than 500 people had already fallen ill, and eight ultimately died as a result of the salmonella outbreak.
Of course, it also is important to look at the larger picture. The management decisions at the Peanut Corporation were reprehensible, yes, but there is much more to the story. There is an important problem with federal oversight of American food production and processing. Too many agencies are responsible for food safety, and each of them has limited jurisdiction and very little regulatory power. Gardiner Harris of the New York Times reported in a video that there are 12 distinct federal agencies and that “this scattered approach ... is one of the principal reasons that food oversight has been very poor in this country.”
As for the FDA, Harris points out one giant problem. When the FDA reviews a drug, the burden of proof falls on the pharmaceutical company, which has to prove the drug’s safety and efficacy for human use. On the other hand, it is the duty of the FDA to prove that a food is unsafe. Thus, food is assumed to be safe.
By now, there is growing recognition that the system needs to be improved. President Barack Obama agrees and has promised reforms, stating, “At bare minimum, we should be able to count on our government keeping our kids safe when they eat peanut butter,” and “we’re going to be doing a complete review of FDA operations.”
Of course, the problem goes a little bit deeper than that. Harris said several legislators have proposed different reform bills, nearly all of which would give the FDA more authority. He makes a distinction, though, between two different visions for improving the situation.
One group of legislators believes the solution lies in giving the FDA more money, more authority and appointing officials with more guts to run the agency. Other officials want to completely separate the task of food regulation and create an entirely distinct agency with this responsibility.
Although it sounds as if we’re moving in the right direction, the problem risks getting relegated to the back burner if the Obama administration does not move quickly in finding someone to fill the post of Health and Human Resources Secretary.
As consumers, we rarely look at our food as a potential vessel of illness, and we don’t want this problem to become any more widespread than it already is. Two long-term strategies to help ensure safety are: Buy local and prepare food according to safety guidelines, and make your voices heard, pressing the government to move quickly through letters, phone calls and votes.
In the meantime, be vigilant about product recalls and check the ingredients list on the back of the box when grocery shopping.
Andrenne is a fourth-year College student. She can be reached at a.alsum@cavalierdaily.com.
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