The State of Food Safety: Regulation, Collaboration and the Advancement of a Globally Safe Food Supply
Every day, millions of cases of food products are produced, distributed and served safely, without incident or mention. Feeding 300 million Americans, and 7 billion people across the globe, is no easy task. It requires a complex system of growers, sellers, distributors, operators and consumers, and there are opportunities for improper handling to occur at every step. Even with one of the most advanced and refined food safety infrastructures in the world, contamination, unfortunately, remains inevitable.
Recent foodborne illness outbreaks have caused some consumers to question the food they are purchasing. Many are condemning large-scale food producers, distributors and sellers, essentially swearing off the major food industry altogether. And while media attention focused on recalls raises consumer awareness of food safety, it also creates a myriad of problems for our industry, including loss of consumer trust, unwarranted regulatory concerns and the rapid spread of misinformation.
One recent food trend is the demand for locally and organically produced foods. Some consumers perceive these types of products to be safer than others because they do not travel long distances, reducing the risk of contamination, but “local” and “organic” are words that define where and how the food is produced, not whether it is safe. Terms such as “local,” “small farm” and “family-owned” are not synonymous with “safe.” As evidenced by Jensen Farms, the cantaloupe grower responsible for last year’s Listeria outbreak, local, family-owned operations do not necessarily equal safety.