LoeperTheMatrix2

Food Safety

The global food production has created a food system that values quantity over quality. Every decision made about our food production affects the final product, including animal feed, waste management, farmers’ skills, processing method, and the distribution system. - 76 million Americans suffer from food poisoning each year - 325,000 people are hospitalized for food related illness o 5200 die o Only a small percentage of those illnesses/deaths are a result of known pathogens

Contamination - Most food-related diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites that can be transmitted through food o Other illnesses are because of harmful toxins and chemicals - Significant exposure to pesticides used in fruit/vegetable production, animal feed and animal conditions have been linked to poisoning, infertility, birth defects, damage to the nervous system and potentially cancer - Mad Cow Disease o Notable concern in food borne illnesses § Affected 200,000 cattle since 1986 § Been linked to Variant Ceutzfeld-Jacob Disease in humans that takes up to 30 years to appear and has no cure - In 2007 3 million broiler chickens were fed pet food, containing toxic products from China, then sold in the US - Medical costs from Salmonella poisoning have been estimated at over $1 billion per year - Only 90 out of 300 import locations have full time FDA inspectors on site - Four companies control the nation’s beef and pork and almost half of the chicken industry o Filthy conditions lead to illnesses in confined animals o Today’s processing plants can process up to 400 cows per houw and 80 chickens per minute o Loopholes maintain the risk of exposure -

Country of Origin - International companies are trying to provide American companies with products that cost less than what it would take for an American farmer to do their job - Imported foods are 13% of the American diet, which has doubled in the past decade - Only 1.3% of all imported food is inspected for safety and quality o This is a $70 billion market - A 2003 FDA report shows that pesticide violations were found in 6.1% of imported foods as opposed to 2.4% in domestic - In 2003 the largest recorded outbreak of Hepatitis A was traced back to green onions in Chi-Chi’s salsa o The FDA had never before inspected the Mexican farm that grew the onions § FDA found dirty runoff from farming housing that went right into the fields § Fields were irrigated from a pond that contained human sewage and animal manure, § Diapers and domestic waste were found close to the fields - Growing numbers of organic food are imported from China o Any product that has the USDA organic label must be certified by an independent party no matter the country of origin § Certification standards do not include routine testing for pesticide contamination - 85% of consumers support a label that would tell them where their food is grown/raised o The 2002 Farm Bill contained a measure called COOL § Country of Origin Labeling · Would require the USDA to label most livestock and agriculture products o Would include beef, pork, lamb, fish, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables and peanuts § Was passed in 2002 but is stalled in Congress until 2008 · Passed for fresh beef, pork and lamb, EXCLUDES processed meats

To solve this problem, there needs to be flexibility and transparency in the food system. The public needs to be protected from toxins while small farmers need to keep their right to locally grow. There needs to be - A precautionary foundation o Where the primary goal of the food system regulations is to protect people, including the farmers o This goes to the precautionary principle – means that something entering the food business is assumed to be harmless until proven harmful- doesn’t make sense? o There needs to be rigorous pre-market evaluation - A sustainable food system o The food system must protect and allow the environment to grow, including the economy and society - Public Knowledge o Access to the origin and production of foods - Corporate liability o Tests, early warning system, and easy removal of a potential hazard

Regulation

There are only a small amount of multinational corporations controlling food production, processing and distribution, the competition to produce a uniform product at the lowest possible cost which means corporations push the limits of food production.

Even though there are few multinational corporations, there are too many obstacles in the US system. In the event of an outbreak, there are so many agencies that it’s easy to get lost in the web of procedures and who is responsible for what, this causes the responsibilities the be spread out and inefficient.

Sources

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Antle, John. "Economic Analysis of Food Safety." //Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics//. Montana State University. Web. . "Food Safety, Consolidation of Food System - The Issues - Sustainable Table." //Sustainable Table//. Web. . // FoodSafety.gov //. Web. . Segerson, Kathleen. "Mandatory vs. Voluntary Approaches To Food Safety." //Food Marketing Policy Center// (1998). University Of Connecticut. Web. . Unnevehr, Laurian J. "Food Safety Issues and Fresh Food Product Exports from LDCs." //Agricultural Economics// (2000). Web. .