What are you eating????

As you know (well, at least most of you) I've worked in the food safety industry for the past 10 years. Its a line of work that I am very passionate about and I find it really interesting.

One thing I like to do is keep my friends and family abreast of the latest issues. When you don't work in the industry you may not hear about the latest news and be aware of the risks we take everyday just by having a simple meal. I'm not trying to scare people but I do think it's important to be educated about the things you are eating.

One of my favorite resources for up to date Food Safety News just came up with a widget so I thought it was an awesome thing to add to my blog. Now you can find all your food safety info right here on STK! Knowing about the things you eat is key to a healthy life so I hope you find it useful. Plus, its great party conversation.

Food Safety bill passes!!

As mentioned yesterday the Food Safety bill (HR 2749) was up for a re vote in the house. After a second time around...it passed!!! Now its on its way to President Obamas desk. Hes a strong supporter so I know it will go all the way.

Im so excited for this. Our countries food safety system needs a serious overhaul and this is a huge leap into making it better.

Food Poisoning attorney Bill Marler puts it like this...

"The bill...will greatly strengthen the FDA’s power to regulate 80% of food economy. HR 2749 will give the FDA the power to order food recalls and set record-keeping standards for food facilities. It will mandate increased frequency of inspections and have the fees to pay for them. There will be stiffer criminal penalties and imports will have to meet the same standard as products produced in the US. What it certainly will do is reduce the enormous number of foodborne illness outbreaks, keep kids out of ICUs and off dialysis, and increase the overall safety of our food.

HR 2749 is the first meaningful food safety legislation in 50 years. It was time for the left to stop making perfect the enemy of good. It was time for the right to get out of the way of consumer protection in the name of industry protection. It was time for all of us to acknowledge that ensuring safety in a sprawling, global food system is not free, nor without pain. It was past time for every part of the food economy – regardless of size - to become part of the system, to share in the costs of the system, and to promote the safety of the system"

Couldnt have said it better myself :)

Food Safety state of the union

As if you didn't know...our country has a serious food safety problem. To make it worse a recent bill (HR 2749) to improve the system was shot down on the house floor a few days ago. Only 6 votes short! Sad, very sad.

We are constantly seeing recalls and foodborn illness outbreaks splashed all over the news. People are getting sick and even dying from completely preventable issues. Its overwhelming! When will it stop? With working in retail food safety for 10 years I have seen more than my share of product recalls...from spinach to pet food to ground beef. No one product is safe. Its seriously insane and our system needs to get fixed. We can only do so much in preventing illness on the retail level. We need manufactures, growers and the REGULATORS to do their part as well.

When I saw the latest HR 2749 news on Marler Blog it made me sick. I cant believe congress did not pass it! Ugh! I know the Obama administration strongly supports the bill but still...as of now, we got nada. Its up for vote again today...keep your fingers crossed people. We need to win this one.

Here is some info on the bill from Marler Blog (BTW - if you don't follow this guy...you should. Hes an attorney who specializes in food poisoning outbreaks and litigation. Very smart dude)

"The Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. The legislation includes many of the recommendations of the President's Food Safety Working Group and focuses on key Administration goals by prioritizing prevention, strengthening surveillance and enforcement, and improving response and recovery.

This bill addresses longstanding challenges in the food safety system and provides the Federal Government with the appropriate tools to accomplish its core food safety goals. The bill also would complement efforts that the Administration has already undertaken administratively to improve food safety and would, among other things, require all food facilities that operate within the U.S. or import food into the U.S. to register annually with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The legislation enables the FDA to implement further preventative measures by issuing new food safety regulations and increasing site inspections and also provides additional authorities to the Federal Government, improving its ability to engage in surveillance and enforcement and respond to food safety emergencies quickly. In addition, the legislation provides the FDA with mandatory recall authority and grants the FDA a new dedicated source of funding to help conduct its vital work of protecting the food supply. The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress on this legislation"

I plan to pull more food safety stuff into the STK blog. I think its important to keep my readers up to date and educated on whats going on with the food we eat.