The tomato didn’t do it

On July 17, the FDA cited jalapeno peppers as the probable carriers of the Salmonella that has sickened 1300 people across the US. Government officials initially linked the outbreak to US tomatoes and, as a result of this change of mind, food chiefs are set to demand the FDA has a greater burden of proof before deciding on the cause of future food scares.

One Florida politician said the tomato sector should receive compensation of US$100 million because of loss of business following the food safety issue.

Kathy Means, of the Produce Marketing Association, said: “More important than the financial loss is the loss of consumer confidence. This has long-term effects for the industry.”

Many believe the incident could lead to a major shift in US food safety policy, with more rigorous traceability regulations set in place.

Former FDA official Martin Taylor, who is now a university professor, said the outbreak was a ‘turning point’ for the industry which could be open to new rules, including more regulation.

Under current rules, processors and distributors are obliged to monitor where food has come from and where it goes. But the regulation does not apply to restaurants or farms. Records can be kept on a number of differing formats including paper, which can also make tracing a product’s path cumbersome, say critics.

Dr David Acheson, the FDA’s associate commissioner for foods, said a more efficient system would have “allowed us to trace back more quickly to get into the distribution centres and onto farms, to eliminate suspected areas quickly”.

Tim Hammonds, president of the Food Marketing Institute, was reported as saying: “It’s the government’s job here to say that industry needs to develop an effective trace-back system and then hold the industry accountable without trying to define exactly how it’s done.”