Every now and then a discussion ensues on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) electronic listserv in which a retailer/producer/vendor subscriber describes the “horrors” of inspections and inspectors, and conversely, in which an inspector wonders at the obstinate behavior of a food producer or retailer. While it is not my purpose to enter into the fray of who’s right or wrong, I do feel compelled to view this argument from both sides with some objectivity. In this two-part series I would like to present the expectations industry deserve from the inspector and what the inspector should expect from a client.
First, We’ve Come a Long Way
Sanitation inspectors have been around for well over a century; the institutionalizing of public health began just after the Civil War. Early efforts in environmental health by the public health pioneers were directed toward stemming the onslaught of many communicable diseases that ravished both our urban and rural populations. While wars always exacted a toll, they paled before such diseases as small pox, cholera, tuberculosis, malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, diphtheria and a host of other environmentally mediated maladies. It was through sheer determination and the absolute need to control these epidemics that public health and indeed, the “sanitationists” were born. As some of the historical diseases were brought under control, new ones emerged and the profession evolved to meet the current demands and concerns of the community. Food safety is a rather recent addition to the traditional public health emphasis.