Poll closed: Split decision

The Fresh Talk poll over the past week offered this question:

Are federal agencies and the industry better prepared to deal with a foodborne illness outbreak linked to produce than was the case two years ago?

No: 12
Yes: 11

TK: After an early lead by the yes vote, the responses later in the week were dominated by the "no" vote. While so much work has been done by so many since the spinach outbreak of two years ago, it is easy to see the industry is dispirited by the tomato/salmonella outbreak. We we are still in the midst of the crisis and lacking answers, and it is too soon to assign blame to the either the FDA or industry players. Clearly, there is more work to do to prevent contamination on the farm and throughout the supply chain, to identify the source of pathogens and minimize the impact of food borne illness on consumers and commerce.