Point and counterpoint

Seattle lawyer Bill Marler co-authored this opinion piece that run in a Buffalo paper yesterday.
He used the unfortunate comparison of Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" in relation to produce processors.
From the opinion piece:

Today, the apparent greater risk to the public is not meat, but produce. As many as 150 people across the Northeast and upper Midwest became ill after eating contaminated lettuce at fast-food restaurants. Many landed in hospitals.
A few months ago, 200 people got sick and at least four died from eating contaminated spinach. Three similar outbreaks occurred since 2002.
The Food and Drug Administration reported 21 E. coli outbreaks related to fresh leafy produce in the last 10 years with nearly 1,000 sickened. Many victims of the Taco Bell E. coli outbreak were residents of upstate New York.
To prevent future outbreaks, we need to follow the example of the Inspection Service and Meat Institute, and serve notice to produce processors that E. coli will no longer be tolerated in fresh produce.
Moreover, Congress should conduct hearings to consider:
Production of an E. coli vaccine for cattle.
Irradiation for all mass-produced foods, including produce.
Updating our food safety regulations (given post 9/11 risks).
State and/or federal authority to order product recalls.
Establishment of a single federal agency responsible for all food safety.
Clarification of state agencies' role in the network of defense against food-borne illnesses.
Better funding for state health departments.
Better treatment for victims of E. coli.
Taking these steps will help prevent people from being sickened by eating what is supposed to be good for them.

TK: For every opinion piece written by lawyers that gives the industry no more credit than a corrupt 1900 Chicago meat packer, there should be an aggressive response detailing the industry's focused energies to prevent further outbreaks. It calls to mind the need for a nerve center for produce safety, a public relations effort that engages critics and assures the public that produce is indeed good for them. While there may be points of agreement with critics like Marler and it is true the industry can't point to a finished work on food safety, it is unacceptable to let his broadbrush characterization stand.