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Food safety in the age of recalls: What the government is doing to protect us, and what you can do

-DAILY NEWS

07/20/2009 - With 5,000 Americans expected to die and another 75 million expected to get sick this year after eating contaminated food, food safety is a national health concern. Recalls within the past year on contaminated products like cookie dough and peanut butter have brought into focus the fact that increased government oversight, as well as individual self-protective measures, are crucial.

While consumers are becoming aware of how to cook and store food safely, federal legislation may ensure that government agencies play a more pivotal role in protecting the nation’s food.

“Most Americans would be surprised to find out that food manufacturing plants regulated by the FDA are not inspected much more than once in 5 or 10 years,” says Jeff Cronin, spokesperson for Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group in Washington, DC. “That has to change.”

The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 would require food companies to conduct hazard analysis programs and to develop written action plans to prevent contamination. Also, the FDA would conduct more frequent inspections of food processing facilities: every 6 to 18 months for high-risk facilities, and every four years for others.

Additionally, the FDA would have the authority to order companies to recall potentially contaminated food. Right now, nearly all recalls are voluntary.

“Ultimately, we need a single, unified food safety system, which we don’t have right now,” Cronin says. “USDA regulates meat and poultry and the FDA regulates everything else, yet USDA gets more of the money even though they are only regulating 10 percent of the food supply.”

From the consumer standpoint, there are plenty of measures to guard against foodborne illness. When you buy meat, for instance, cook it to a higher degree of doneness than you might be inclined to, says Sara Klein, CSPI spokesperson.

“Some cuts have been mechanically tenderized so if there’s e. coli on the surface, it’s now transferred to the inside of the meat,” she explains. “Many people are unlikely to cook a steak to well done because you would think the inside would not have e. coli. But this is a big problem that consumers are not aware of. And meat does not have to bear a label that says it has been mechanically tenderized.”

When cooking frozen dinners in the microwave, she says, pay close attention to the directions and don’t disregard the instructions to let food stand for 5 minutes before eating. “As food stands, the temperature level rises and it continues to cook,” Klein says. “With microwave cooking, some spots can be really hot and others cold. If the food isn’t thoroughly cooked, salmonella is a risk.”

If you or someone you love were diagnosed with Salmonella poisoning after eating peanut butter made by Peanut Corp. of America, or any product made with ingredients supplied by this company, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the peanut butter lawyers of Ennis & Ennis, P.A. today for a nationwide free legal consultation. Our experienced peanut butter recall attorneys can answer any questions you may have about the peanut butter Salmonella recall, King Nut recall, Peanut Corporation of America recall, and potential peanut butter recall lawsuits. Call toll free or fill out our free online case evaluation form on this page.