Consumer choice and free markets do far more daily for food safety than government. Americans reject foods that are out-of-date, spoiled, or fail to meet their standards. Stores and producers who wish to remain in business have no choice but to respond — witness the voluntary food safety programs of many major corporations.That's true. I'm probably not going to buy contaminated eggs, Cadmium Happy Meals, or more than my minimum daily requirement of E. coli a second time, if there is a second time.
Also, the editorialist and commenters note that consumers should buy locally-produced products. Good option, but not a guarantee, either. Witness the listeriosis outbreak a few yeas back, when three people died and one woman miscarried as the result of the infected milk. Whitter Farms closed its Shrewsbury operation and now sells milk that is produced at its Connecticut plant.
It's a reminder that growing, processing, and distributing food is a complex process. There are many intersections at the international, national, local, and household level where trouble can occur, often serious, sometimes deadly.
The gold standard for process quality, Six Sigma, sets a goal of establishing processes that can produce 99.9997% defect-free products. Or, 3.4 defects per million. That's a pretty good standard, unless it's your breakfast.
It should be noted that the companies under investigation for the latest large shipments of salmonella, Wright County Egg or its Maine affiliate, Quality Egg, make no claim for six sigma quality.
The bill in question, S. 510: FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (GovTrack.us), appears to have the support of big food businesses and associations with opposition from organizations that represent small farms. However we decide the issue, let's get our thinking in order. We can only vote with our feet on the issue of food safety if we're still on our feet.
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