Strengthening
America's Food Safety Net
by Cal Dooley
America has come a long way since the days of Upton Sinclair's turn-of-the-century novel, The Jungle. Sinclair's portrayal of the U.S. meat industry sent shock waves through the public and launched a heated food safety policy debate that ultimately led to the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act by Congress in 1906.
A century later, the United States has the safest food supply in the world, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is widely regarded as the world's leading food safety agency. This long track record of success is a credit to both the private sector - the companies that manufacture our food, and the public sector - the policymakers at the federal, state and local level who set and enforce the standards that protect the safety and security of the food supply.
While we should all be proud of our track record when it comes to food safety, it is important to remember that change is the watchword when it comes to our food supply. Why? Because consumer preferences change. Agricultural practices change. Food processing technology and techniques change. And most importantly, we learn more and more about the make up of our food as the result of advances in food science.
For instance, who would have predicted twenty years ago that fresh and organic foods would be one of the fastest growing categories in the retails food industry? Was there anyway to know that we would someday import foods and food ingredients from over 180 countries around the globe as we do now? Despite the challenges these shifts in the food supply pose, the food, beverage and consumer products industry is dedicated to providing consumers what they want.
It is in the food industry's enlightened self-interest to provide consumers with abundant, affordable and safe food. Consumers must be able to trust the brands they buy and the food they eat. If they don't, the companies that produce those products cannot exist for very long.
Despite our tremendous
track record of success when it comes to food safety, we have clearly entered
a period of change, as recent events have exposed weaknesses in our nation's
food safety net and shaken public confidence in the safety and security of
the food supply. In fact, a recent Food Marketing Institute (FMI) survey showed
that public confidence in the food supply has dropped from 82% to 66% in the
last year.
As in Upton Sinclair's day, recent problems with a host of products, including
spinach, peanut butter, lettuce, pet food and chili sauce have sparked a heated
public policy debate about what is wrong with our food supply and how to fix
it. That is where the Grocery Manufacturers Association comes in.
Rather than wait for federal policymakers to study the issue and implement half-baked solutions that may or may not make our food supply even safer, GMA months ago leapt into action by creating its own Food Safety Modernization Task Force comprised of member company and association staff experts. The group immediately went to work to investigate imported food safety issues and develop a plan of action.
The result of months of
research and hard work, GMA's Commitment to Consumers: The Four Pillars of
Imported Food Safety, was unveiled at a press conference in Washington D.C.
in September. The proposal received nationwide print and broadcast media coverage
and was received warmly by policymakers in Washington and around the country.
The foundation of the four pillars is prevention. While some have targeted
increased border inspections as the solution to tainted foreign products,
we recognize that, while FDA inspections are a critical component of America's
food safety net, we cannot inspect our way to a safer food supply. Yes, we
can and should do better, but it is a practical impossibility to inspect all
of the food that crosses our borders. That is why the four pillars proposal
is so important.
The proposal takes advantage of the food industry's knowledge, expertise and practical experience to ensure products and ingredients sourced overseas comply with the same standards we have in the U.S. Increase supply chain vigilance by food companies - from the farm to the dinner table - is the right approach.
Most food companies already have stringent food safety programs in place. However, under our proposal, every food company would be required to have a foreign supplier quality assurance program based on FDA guidance. Food companies and importers or record must ensure their suppliers meet FDA standards.
Second, in order to allow FDA to focus its limited resources on higher risk products or countries, we have proposed a voluntary qualified importer food safety program. Under this proposal, food companies may voluntarily share proprietary information and testing results with the FDA on a confidential basis. In return, those products may qualify for expedited entry at the borders.
Third, the food industry will work with the FDA and other federal government agencies to expand the capacity of foreign governments to prevent and detect threats to food safety by working with foreign countries and international organizations to expand FDA access to foreign facilities and to harmonize food safety standards globally.
Finally, the FDA needs more resources to adequately fulfill its food safety mission. The agency's funding and resources have fallen precipitously in recent years. That is why GMA is calling on Congress to double the FDA's food safety budget over the next five years. That money will help bolster FDA, more appropriately enforce our borders and improve the agency's analytical testing and information technology.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the four pillars proposal is that we are asking Congress to ratify it by law. The food industry is committed to doing what it takes to ensure the safety and security of the food supply, but in order to maximize consumer confidence, we want the FDA to be our full and complete partner in this effort, making certain that we deliver on that promise.
The four pillars proposal is not the only idea floating around Capitol Hill these days. Myriad proposals have been introduced in Congress, including those that would establish user fees to fund the FDA, the establishment of a single food safety regulatory agency, country of origin labeling schemes and a host of others.
We are confident that the four pillars approach is the best way to protect the safety and security of the food supply and bolster consumer confidence in the products they buy and the food they eat. That is why GMA is reaching out to key members of the U.S. House and Senate to promote the four pillars and address the serious flaws in alternative proposals.
In the meantime, our science
and regulatory affairs experts are working with our member companies to address
recent food safety issues and to make changes where necessary that improve
food safety domestically and around the globe. As these events unfold, I can't
help but think that Upton Sinclair would be amazed if could see for himself
the abundant, safe and affordable food supply we have today.