“Everyone believes in and supports safe food supplies and clean air and water. But the agencies of the Federal Government have gone way beyond what was originally intended by the Congress,” the document says, calling “burdensome regulations” a “source of stagnation” in the U.S. economy.
It is the same argument that critics raised during the debate over FSMA. But backers of the law, including Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., shot back.
“‘Red tape, mindless regulation, hurting our economy, killing jobs.’ Well, yeah, there’s another side to that, and the other side of that is that it prevents stuff from happening that actually hurts our economy, that actually hurts lives,” he said during a hearing on the bill.
Regulations aside, consumers can do their part by following basic safety procedures.
“Keep hot foods hot, cold foods cold, don’t cross-contaminate, wash your sponges and change them every now and then. When you go to restaurants, if you’re worried about the restaurant, make sure the food is hot,” Nestle said.
The FDA has issued its own consumer guidelines on safe food handling, following four basic principles:
- Keep hands and cooking surfaces clean. Use warm, soapy water. Consider using paper towels. If you prefer cloth towels, launder them often.
- Separate raw meats from other foods. Keep meat, poultry, fish, and eggs away from other foods from the time they go into the grocery bag until the time you cook them. Use separate cutting boards for your meat and your produce.
- Cook to the right temperature. Color and texture are not reliable indicators that your food is properly cooked. Use a food thermometer.
- Refrigerate promptly. Bacteria can multiply quickly under the right conditions. Make sure your refrigerator is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and your freezer is below zero.
Of course, none of those tips would have helped victims of Stewart Parnell and Peanut Corporation of America, since the company sold most of its products to food processors to be used as ingredients in other products. That made it especially difficult for authorities to trace the source of the contamination. Solving the mystery has led to sweeping changes in the way food is kept safe — if the industry, consumers, and government learned their lesson.
See how authorities finally cracked the deadly case of Stewart Parnell and Peanut Corporation of America on an all new episode of “American Greed” on Monday, July 3, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CNBC.