Tracking down unsafe foods
Up until now, food manufacturers determined if and when they would tell government officials about products they believed could seriously sicken humans or animals.
This week, the Food and Drug Administration changed that, instead requiring companies to alert them within 24 hours if contamination is suspected. The FDA rolled out its Reportable Food Registry, an electronic system designed to head off potential cases of foodborne illness.
According to the FDA, the reasons why a company might have to report a problem include if there has been bacterial contamination, allergen mislabeling or elevated levels of certain chemicals.
Companies that fail to report could face fines or other sanctions. Companies are not required to report a problem if they have solved it and taken steps to correct it before an item is shipped.
"We learn about problems after people get sick," Michael Taylor, senior adviser to the FDA's commissioner, told reporters. "This is intended to inform us of contamination problems before people get sick."
The registry was mandated by Congress in 2007 and is supposed to be an answer to complaints that FDA doesn't react quickly enough to food safety issues. There have been a series of high-profile cases of foodborne illness recently, where many have gotten sick and some have died from consuming contaminated peanut butter, spinach, cookie dough and more.
Comments
I’d just point out that unless we pass new legislation that's being considered by congress the FDA will still lack the authority to mandate that a company recall its food, even if that food has been shown to be contaminated with potentially deadly hazards like Salmonella.
Every year more than 5,000 Americans die from foodborne illness, that’s more people than die from fire, guns or drowning. The House has already passed a bill, and the President has made this issue a priority. Now it is up to the Senate to take action. We can't afford to wait for comprehensive food safety legislation.
www.makeourfoodsafe.com/sandwich
Posted by: Ben | September 10, 2009 10:30 AM