FDA Shakedown
It is no surprise, but in a recent conference call Dr. David Acheson, M.D., FDA’s Associate Commissioner for Foods, finally fessed up to the way FDA’s “not implicated” list is set up. Being that life offers only two possibilities, either one is “implicated” or one is “not implicated,” a consumer is likely to think that […]
What Does the Word ‘Ongoing’ Mean?
Perhaps our biggest Pundit Peeve with this whole Salmonella Saintpaul/Tomato problem has been the lack of clarity with which CDC and FDA chooses to communicate to the public. For example, the FDA and CDC keep characterizing the outbreak as “ongoing” without defining that term. Now to a consumer, the word “ongoing” means “I am still […]
The Glorification Of Traceback
If you listen to the pronouncements of the FDA, you see them as heroes searching with great difficulty to trace back the Salmonella outbreak on tomatoes to its source. And, indeed the job is a difficult one. Remember we only have 243 people who have been interviewed. Assuming half actually remember something useful, we are […]
What Would FDA Do
With ‘Preventive Authority’
The FDA and CDC have held a series of conference calls and press conferences during the Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak and most are rather predictable. Yet listening to FDA’s Dr. David Acheson, M.D., Associate Commissioner for Foods, speak on a recent call was rather shocking. In response to a question, he pointed out that FDA had […]
Some Advice For CDC And FDA
The government is doing two things that needlessly are raising concern among consumers. When this crisis is all over, the produce associations should really talk to CDC and FDA about the way information is presented. The first problem is that government agencies on both the state and federal levels keep announcing “additional” cases or “new” […]
Let’s Be Frank About
Risks Associated With Fresh Produce
During the spinach crisis of 2006, we ran a piece entitled A Look At The Faces that included photographs of those who had died as a result of the outbreak. We ran it because, in considering what actions to take, it was simply essential that the industry remember we were dealing with real people. This […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Are Tomatoes
Really The Culprit?
We’ve now run several special editions related to the Salmonella Saintpaul/Tomato situation: SPECIAL REPORT: Tomato/Salmonella Outbreak Insights and Analysis SPECIAL REPORT II: As Tomato/Salmonella Outbreak Expands, Government Agencies Require More Scrutiny SPECIAL REPORT III: Tomato/Salmonella Source List Narrows But Some Regions Ruined SPECIAL REPORT IV: Salmonella/Tomato Crisis Creates Collateral Damage These editions, plus other related […]
Repackers and Traceability
One of the difficulties in doing traceback in the tomato segment is the role of repackers. There has been much talk about the role of these firms as a kind of “black box” in which product enters as a thoroughbred with clear traceable pedigree and leaves a kind of mongrel with parentage difficult or impossible […]
FDA Leaves Mexico In The Dark
With pieces such as Free Baja, Andrew & Williamson Hit Hard By FDA’s Mexican Tomato Ban and Baja Growers Denied Fair Access…Building Case For WTO, we pointed out the injustice and the insanity of FDA’s refusal to extend to various regions in Mexico the same courtesy it has extended to northern Florida. That is, allowing […]
Irradiation Holds Promise
For Tomato Pathogen Reduction
One way of thinking about the continuation of fresh produce-related food safety outbreaks and the FDA reactions to the same is as a reflection of two different paradigms. The industry wants food safety, recognizes the enormous costs of outbreaks and certainly values its customers. But the industry also knows that consumers value many things and […]
