WASHINGTON —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Safety problems associated with the globalization of the American food supply have taken on added urgency in light of the salmonella outbreak that has sickened more than 1,000 people and vexed health officials, who recently expanded their investigation beyond raw tomatoes to include fresh chile peppers and cilantro, including produce from abroad. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Speaking at the first-ever Import Safety Summit here, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt told more than 350 attendees that the country “needs new tools and new strategies” to deal with the surge of products coming in from other countries. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
“The scale and complexity of [the import safety challenge] is amazing,” Leavitt said, noting that the United States imported more than $2 trillion in products in 2007. “And the need for change is profound. As long as Americans want fresh produce anywhere, anytime, our import system will become increasingly complex.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
About 15 percent of all food consumed in this country is imported. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Asserting that the country is in a “product safety crisis,” Donald Mays, senior director of product safety and technical public policy for Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, called 2007 the “year of the recall.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
“We saw recalls in ground beef, toys and cribs,” he said, “and it’s continuing this year. [Consumers] have lost confidence in the marketplace. They’re concerned about the foods they eat. There has been an onslaught of unsafe products that have left gaping holes in our safety net.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
He criticized federal health officials, saying they “still don’t know the source of the salmonella even though this has been going on for three months and has sickened hundreds.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
“It hurts everyone,” he said. “We need to rebuild consumer confidence.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Dr. David Acheson, the assistant commissioner for food protection at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, maintained that the country has “one of the safest food supplies in the world,” but acknowledged that “more needs to be done.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
The FDA has come under fire lately from critics claiming that officials have failed to identify the source of the current salmonella outbreak. Rather than narrowing the field, the critics maintain, the agency has broadened its months-long investigation from focusing on tomatoes to now including jalapeño and serrano peppers and cilantro. At the same time, critics say the FDA has failed to communicate its findings to consumers sufficiently or in a timely manner. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Leavitt defended the agency, saying that while the FDA’s “work is underappreciated in this country, it is appreciated around the world” as the “gold standard.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Some observers also argue the federal government should step up the FDA’s funding and require it to increase inspections at the more than 300 points of entry for imports across the nation. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Acheson opposes the escalation of inspections and opts instead for the establishment of voluntary certification programs that address production lifecycles. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Other summit participants support Acheson’s position. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
“If everything has to be inspected, we’ll be seeing the ships line up at the port in Los Angeles,” said John Suarez, senior vice president and general counsel for Walmart Stores Inc. “The impact on consumers would be less availability and higher prices.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Kim Lopdrup, president of www.redlobster.com Red Lobster, the Darden-owned dinner-house chain that imports $2 billion in seafood each year from 35 countries, agreed that “mandatory government inspections of everything” would be expensive “and not the best way to ensure safety.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
“We need to have critical control points along the way,” Lopdrup said. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Asked how such systems would have impacted the current salmonella outbreak had they already been in place, the FDA’s Acheson replied that they would have reduced the likelihood of an outbreak in the first place. In case of an outbreak, however, the systems would have allowed for more rapid traceability back to the source and then allowed for a more rapid identification of those who purchased the items. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Federal officials and company executives attending the summit, which was co-sponsored by the National Restaurant Association together with 11 other trade associations, maintained the private sector would be equipped best to develop these programs. Following the developmental phase, the programs would be submitted to the FDA for vetting and implementation. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Acheson urged members of the private sector “not to wait for the FDA to design the standards.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
“The FDA shouldn’t be the initiator,” he said. “You should develop the standards and bring them to us, and then we can determine that they’re adequate.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Strong preventative controls at various points along the food chain would enable the FDA to identify and focus on the producers who are known to not have strong standards in place, conference speakers said. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Participants said the federal government should take a leading role in establishing safety programs that will be acceptable to the American public. Gerald Storch, president and chief executive of Toys R’ Us, pointed out that individual states frustrated by Washington’s slow product safety action are looking to pass their own legislation. Characterizing the rise in individual state regulations as “the Balkanization of marketing,” Storch called for a common set of standards. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Many conference participants said they favored the use of independent or accredited third-party certification, under which standards for a given product would be monitored by an independent auditor at all links in the supply chain. These certifiers themselves, in turn, would be audited by others. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Jill Hollingsworth, vice president of the Food Marketing Institute representing the Global Food Safety Initiative, or GFSI, said a third-party system provides checks and balances. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
“It’s not just a snapshot in time,” he said. “It shows what [an importer] does day in and day out.” —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Red Lobster’s Lopdrup said that while the Orlando, Fla.-based company employs 16 specialists and inspectors around the world to ensure the safety of the brand’s seafood, he supports using third-party certifiers. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
Donna Garren, the NRA’s vice president of health and safety regulatory affairs, also supports independent certification of products. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
“By using third-party certifiers, the government would be able to identify companies with a commitment to food safety and then concentrate their resources at the border on importers that don’t have that same level of commitment,” she said. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.
The NRA also recently formed a strategic alliance with the GFSI, managed by CIES–The Food Business Forum, an independent global network of food business executives, to share best-food-safety practices and the use of common food safety standards worldwide. Garren said the alliance would maintain a benchmarking process for food safety management programs while improving cost efficiency across the food supply chain through the common acceptance of GFSI-recognized standards around the world. It also would provide a platform for networking, information exchange and the sharing of best-food-safety practices. —As the nation grapples with one of the largest foodborne-illness outbreaks in its history, government officials and industry leaders are calling for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to develop systems that would help ensure the safety of imports.