GMA's food safety solutions

From the inbox this morning:


As part of its ongoing effort to improve the safety and security of the nation’s food supply, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) today gathered over 200 of the industry’s top scientists and quality assurance experts to assess its current food safety practices, share successful practices and develop a comprehensive plan for preventing food-related health outbreaks.

“While strong government oversight is important, the primary responsibility for product safety rests squarely on the shoulders of those companies that make consumer packaged goods,” said Pamela Bailey, GMA president and CEO. “As part of our long-standing focus on product safety, GMA has convened top experts from the food and beverage industry, academia and government to discuss and assess recent events and to make recommendations for improving our nation’s food safety net.”

During her opening remarks at the GMA Science Forum in Arlington, Virginia, Ms. Bailey briefed attendees on the association’s legislative food safety proposal that includes the following provisions:

FDA should require every food manufacturer to have a food safety plan in place that identifies and mitigates the risk of contamination.
Every food importer should have to document the food safety measures employed by their suppliers.
Congress should give FDA the power to establish federal safety standards for certain fruits and vegetables.
Provide FDA with mandatory recall authority when companies fail to recall products on a voluntary basis.
Increase FDA funding to provide the agency with the funds it needs to hire more food safety experts and improve its laboratory and information technology capabilities.

In advance of the Science Forum, GMA conducted a survey of attendees to quantify industry expert attitudes on food safety. According to the survey results of the respondents:

Virtually 100% of industry scientists who responded agree that food and beverage manufacturers are responsible for producing safe products and that the industry must be committed to modernizing, strengthening and improving the nation’s food safety system.
90% agree that FDA must be given increased funding and new authorities to prevent contamination of the food supply.
90% agree that, in addition to the food safety practices, testing and procedures utilized by food manufacturers, the modernization of our food safety laws and standards is critical to improving America’s food safety net.
86% agree that FDA should require every food manufacturer to adopt and regularly update a food safety plan.
88% agree that food importers should be required by the FDA to document the steps they are taking to police their foreign suppliers.
98% agree that the FDA should be allowed to set federal standards for fresh fruits and vegetables.
80% agree that the FDA should be given mandatory recall authority when a company does not comply with a voluntary recall request.

“These results not only show that the industry experts who are on the front lines of food safety hold themselves accountable for producing safe products, but that they also see strong government oversight as a critical component of food safety.

“Food and beverage companies are stepping up their own food safety efforts and GMA is working with Congress and the Obama Administration to enact food safety modernization legislation as soon as possible so that we can prevent problems before they occur and bolster consumer confidence in the safety and security of the food supply,” concluded Ms. Bailey.

Where is the smoking gun if not in wildlife?

The Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group has a thread about the LA Times article that states wildlife are unlikely E. coli carriers. In the article, the measures taken against wildlife intrusion on farms were described and given context

After wild pigs were linked to the deadly E. coli outbreak in California spinach nearly three years ago, Central Coast growers started shooting and poisoning wildlife.

Workers on one large farm killed 33 deer in a single year. Farmers poisoned ponds to get rid of frogs, ripped out trees and bushes and erected miles of expensive fencing.

But two years of testing wild animals and birds in the region suggests that only a small fraction actually carry the strain of Escherichia coli responsible for the contamination.

The results, released by the state Department of Fish and Game this week, "show that wildlife are not the Typhoid Marys some people think they are and some of the extreme measures are not necessary," said state wildlife biologist Terry Palmisano

Later......

Hank Giclas, vice president of the Western Growers Assn., said farmers are caught in a bind between satisfying wholesalers' demands and conservation practices.

"We're very supportive" of the E. coli study, he added. "We want to fundamentally understand where the risks are -- and are not -- and have designs that minimize the risk with the least negative impact on the environment in which people farm."

But he said his group, which helped draw up the voluntary standards, would wait until the research was finished before taking any action on the guidelines. In the meantime, an effort is underway to expand the safety program nationally.

The E. coli testing is part of a broader investigation by government and university scientists that will sample livestock, water and soil. More wildlife will also be tested.

TK: So where is the smoking gun - water, wildlife, livestock or processing plants themselves? Check out the speculations and add your own at the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group here.