Spinach safety and the FDA

Robert Guenther of United Fresh Produce Association told me today that it appears that food safety legislation may be taken up by Congress in an aggressive way in the next few weeks. Part of the momentum could be tied to the House report about FDA and spinach safety, which can be found here. I covered this story for The Packer today, and in general the industry reaction is that times have changed quite a bit since the 2001-07 period examined by the report. Shortcomings of the FDA are nothing new, but new criticisms drill into the industry as well. Here is reaction from Rep. Rosa DeLauro about the House report:

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) issued the following statement on the report “FDA and Fresh Spinach” issued by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. DeLauro and Congressman Henry Waxman had requested the report following the 2006 E. coli outbreak tied to fresh spinach.

“Given the extent of the 2006 E. coli outbreak in spinach, which caused three deaths and sickened over 200 people across the country, the findings in this report present a very troubling picture of the FDA’s dismissive approach to ensuring the safety of our food supply. “Many of the problems the report uncovered are unpleasant – inadequate restroom sanitation, liter piles, and workers with uncovered hair and poor hygiene – all preventable and easily resolved. But perhaps more disturbing is that, after witnessing objectionable conditions, the FDA failed to pursue any corrective actions such as seizures or injunctions. Even worse, it was found that FDA overlooked repeated violations by these facilities by merely requesting voluntary compliance instead of pursuing enforcement actions.
“There is no doubt that the FDA needs more resources, but this report demonstrates that there also needs to be an effective management structure in place to pursue enforcement actions when violations are uncovered. Overlooking repeated violations will not help the FDA prevent food-borne illness outbreaks. I look forward to continue working with my colleague, Mr. Waxman to reform the agency.”