Headlines - Consumer confidence and traceability

Major league attention is being paid to the fresh produce industry these days. While the attention isn't always about the wholesome goodness or the unfailing attributes of fruits and vegetables, it is remarkable scrutiny nonetheless. Here are a couple of headlines from high profile writers that illustrate the point;

Tracking produce proves complex The Washington Post
From the story:

Investigators said the complexity of the produce distribution system has been their biggest impediment, and some produce industry leaders agree that tracing fruits and vegetables could be easier. Though the technology to do so already exists in the form of bar codes that appear on nearly everything we buy, it could take as long as five years before the entire food industry applies it to food safety.
Produce outbreaks are notoriously hard to trace. In at least half of all produce outbreaks, health officials have never determined what made people sick. The short shelf life of most fresh fruits and vegetables means it's less likely the items will still be in people's refrigerators when investigators come looking. Plus, there are many paths produce can take to reach consumers. In the salmonella probe, health officials said the practice of repacking made it harder to trace tomatoes to their source. Repacking involves sorting produce for size and color to meet a customer's specifications. Fresh tomatoes are often repacked, sometimes more than once. For investigators, the practice can open a multitude of new leads. Investigators trying to find the source of contaminated jalapeños have run into "the same spider web," said David Acheson, a top food safety official at the FDA.
For some produce industry leaders, references to spider webs sound like excuses for mistakes in judgment. "We are not dealing with failure of traceability. We are dealing with the fact that the trace-back did not support the single point of contamination hypothesis," said Tom Stenzel, president of United Fresh Produce Association. "We would submit that trace-back worked; we just weren't listening carefully enough to what it was telling us."

TK: The assertion by Stenzel and other industry leaders that "trace-back" worked will be closely scrutinized in upcoming hearings. Will this claim be supported by the officials at FDA or CDC? How does this position sync with the desire to get the industry moving on broader progress on traceability solutions for the supply chain? If trace-back worked, what's the rush on the part of industry players in moving forward with the traceability initiative? There is a delicate balance act going on between defending the industry, pointing out the errors of the FDA and preparing the industry for new demands and mandates.

Another headline: Food Safety Worries Change Buying Habits

TK: Jay Martini also linked to this AP story in another blog post. The upshot is that consumers "overwhelmingly support" setting up a trace-back system for produce, with four in five supporting "enforceable federal standards." As if on cue, the stars are aligning for Congressional action, it would seem.