WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16, 2008 (HealthDay News) -- There's no shortage of proposed solutions for filling the safety gaps in the U.S. food system.
Many suggestions focus on the oft-stated reforms of establishing one federal "superagency" to monitor food safety; beefing up the overworked U.S. Food and Drug Administration; or, at the very least, giving the FDA the ability to recall tainted food products.
But there are other proposed solutions, which include:
Back in March, the FDA came up with "non-binding" guidelines for food processors to try to reduce instances of food poisoning in fresh produce. This was the first time any such suggestions had been made for the produce industry.
Others think the food industry can create its own solutions.
"I think things have changed now and... companies are willing to talk about mandatory guidelines," said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist with Consumers Union.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), which represents the nation's top food producers, unveiled in September a "four pillars" plan to increase government oversight -- but of imports rather than domestically produced food.
The new strategy is also meant to take "a bit of the burden off of the FDA," said Jenny Scott, vice president of food safety programs at GMA.
According to Scott, the four pillars include:
"Ideally, we would like to put programs in place that prevent these problems overseas, so that we're not just relying on us to catch them at the border," Scott explained.
The GMA is opposed to certain other recommendations, such as importer user fees. "We look at that as just being another tax," Scott said.
It also opposes granting the FDA recall authority over foods.
"There are maybe only two incidents that I can remember in the last 10 years where the company refused [to recall goods], and, in both instances, the FDA came out with a press release that was worse than them doing a recall, because it said, 'You are making a hazardous product,' " Scott said.
GMA also opposes country-of-origin labeling. "A lot of people think, 'Well, if I know that it's from China, then I won't eat it,' " Scott said. "But that kind of muddies the water, because there's a lot coming from China that is safe. It doesn't tell you as much as people think it would."
As for product traceability, Scott said time-tested, reliable systems are already in place. Most food companies know who they received a particular product from, she said, and they also know where they are sending their products. This creates a kind of information "chain" that Scott said is pretty easy to follow, right back to the farm.