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The Opaque World of American Food Safety

By PritzkerLaw

By FRED PRITZKER

The buzzword de jour is 'transparency.'

 Transparency in financial markets, transparency in budgets, transparency in political contributions, transparency in just about everything except the one thing everyone pays for and no one can live without: food.

 You're concerned about the peanut butter you eat and want to know where it came from and the sanitation track record of the company that produced it? Good luck.

You're going out to eat at a fancy restaurant (or the corner 'greasy spoon') and want to know how it scored on its last sanitation inspection? Fat chance if you live in my home state of Minnesota or one of the other states that does not require posting of restaurant inspection scores.

Meat packing plants are inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. If an inspector finds an unsanitary condition, a Noncompliance Record (NR) is issued. An unsafe plant may have a long trail of such NRs (the knowledge of which would help consumers make informed choices about purchasing products from such processors). Unfortunately, trying to access such records requires a FOIA request (and perhaps a law or journalism degree) and the willingness to wait months or even years to obtain the results.

This is lunacy. As the United States Congress mulls over revamping our system of food safety and sanitation, it must require the free and efficient exchange of inspection records that directly impact consumers' food purchase choices. This is true for meat packers, food producers and restaurants.

Fred Pritzker is founder and president of national food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen Attorneys. He currently represents victims of the national peanut butter Salmonella outbreak, including the families of three women who died with Salmonella infections. With 30 years of experience and a national reputation for excellence, Mr. Pritzker has been quoted by CNN, The Associated Press, CBS News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Fox News, as well as many regional newspapers and network affiliate television stations. His practice has been highlighted in a feature story by Minnesota Lawyer and his firm has won numerous million- and multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts. To contact the firm, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or fill out a free case consultation form.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on March 27, 2009 (boomark / email).