Pundit’s Mailbag — PMA And Others
Part Of Alliance For Stronger FDA
Salmonella And Tomatoes Linked In New Mexico was our first piece on the salmonella/tomato incident but hardly our last. It was quickly followed up with our SPECIAL REPORT: Tomato/Salmonella Outbreak…Insights and Analysis and that led to a brief note from PMA: Just wanted to be sure you’re aware that PMA and others are part of […]
Retail And Foodservice
Buyers Share Their Experiences
The press releases may fly, but how are retailers and foodservice operators actually experiencing this tomato/salmonella outbreak? We asked Pundit Investigator and Special Projects Editor Mira Slott to speak with an industry leader in each segment to find out more: Mike O’Brien Schnuck MarketsSt. Louis, Missouri Q: We’re looking to get a pulse on the […]
FDA Undercuts Buyer-Aligned
Risk-Based Systems
It is becoming increasingly clear that the FDA is indifferent to the real life food safety impacts of its decisions. In our discussion of the foolishness of FDA’s actions in restricting the sale of cantaloupes from Agropecuaria Montelibano, we pointed out that this company is well respected, third-party-audited, does business in the UK and thus […]
Chains Could Give A Little
Support And Frankness
Many on the buying end of the produce industry are being a little less frank than they could be and thus making the situation regarding salmonella and tomatoes worse than it need be. Many of the chains, especially in foodservice, that have withdrawn tomatoes from their menus have issued statements or made comments, typically something […]
FDA’s Lack Of Logic
And Awkward Use Of Language
Lead To Consumer Confusion
When the FDA initially announced that people in New Mexico and Texas should not eat certain types of tomatoes, we pointed out that this simply made no sense: Now the only reason to stop anyone from eating anything would be if the FDA believed there was a continuing risk to public health. But if there […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Producers Do Not Operate In A Vacuum
Our initial piece, Salmonella And Tomatoes Linked In New Mexico, and our SPECIAL REPORT: Tomato/Salmonella Outbreak…Insights and Analysis brought many letters, including this poignant one from a man who sees that the future of the produce industry is likely to be different from the past: As an industry, we do a terrible job of taking […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Look At Lot Size
Salmonella And Tomatoes Linked In New Mexico was our kick-off. Then we ran our SPECIAL REPORT: Tomato/Salmonella Outbreak…Insights and Analysis, and that brought this note from an industry luminary: I spent a couple of years in the traceability space, and regarding your tomato article, the real issue, I think, is one of “lot size management”. […]
Pundit’s Mailbag — Too Quick
To Blame Mexico?
We started with Salmonella And Tomatoes Linked In New Mexico and then ran our SPECIAL REPORT: Tomato/Salmonella Outbreak…Insights and Analysis and received this thoughtful critique: I have a huge amount of respect for your up-front assertion of this industry’s faults and respectively its positive aspects. But I am a bit perplexed by this particular column […]
CDC’s Lack of Transparency
Despite the fact that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest update, the last person to become sick as a result of the salmonella/tomatoes situation became sick on May 27, 2008, scarcely anyone has objected to the FDA warning that consumers nationwide should not eat raw red Roma, raw red plum, raw […]
FDA Pattern of Shame:
In Order To Seem Relevant,
It Acts After The Outbreaks Are Over
Hopefully all of us in the industry would put food safety over profit and so if warning people not to eat something would save a life or avoid a serious illness, few would object to the FDA issuing such a warning. However, as has become its practice, it appears the FDA was a day late […]
