December 19, 2006
Volume 2 Issue 92

Food Safety Vs Technology

October 6, 2006 – FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Press Release

                            FDA Statement on Foodborne E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak in Spinach

“To date, 199 cases of illness due to E. coli O157:H7 infection have been reported to CDC, including 31 cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), 102 hospitalizations and 3 deaths. The first death was an elderly woman in Wisconsin. The second death of a two-year-old in Idaho and the third death of an elderly woman in Nebraska”

December 9, 2006 – New York Times By ROBERT D. MCFADDEN

“At least 39 people in central New Jersey and on Long Island were infected, 2  of them critically, with E. coli bacteria in an outbreak of food poisoning last month that has been traced to the Taco Bell restaurant chain, health officials in New York and New Jersey said yesterday.

It was the nation's most serious outbreak of E. coli toxins since mid-September, when the same strain of the bacteria, linked to packages of contaminated spinach grown in California”

December 14, 2006 – Center for Disease Control and Prevention Press Release

               Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157 Infections in Taco Bell Restaurants

“As of 12 PM (ET) December 14, 2006, Thursday, 71 persons with illness associated with the Taco Bell restaurant outbreak have been reported to CDC from 5 states: New Jersey (33), New York (22), Pennsylvania (13), Delaware (2), and South Carolina (1).  

Among these 71 ill persons, 53 (75%) were hospitalized and 8 (11%) developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). “

            With in the last 6 months there have been 2 of the largest recalls ever in the food business. Over 150 people have been hospitalized, over 30 people have developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome and 3 people have died! All of this, for what? People put  their trust in the government and in business to provide the safest food possible and it is the responsibility of the food guys to make sure of that. The question now arises is what can I do to better prepare myself in case this happens to me? Well, there is one technology company that thinks they will be able to track a piece of produce from the farm to market.

            There was a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer named “Where Was It Grown?” by Harold Brubaker that was about how with all the recent out breaks of contaminated food, the ability to track a product from the farm to market is more important than ever. In the article, they mention that one technology company has devolved a way to track all the data by using a single barcode on the produce. This bar code can then be tracked using a hand held computer system with built in GPS and for a subscription fee that data can be shared with packers and retailers. This sharing of data is the future of the food business. Sooner than later all food products will have a uniformed bar coding system so that companies can track product all the way though the supply chain. The biggest problem in this system is getting people to follow though with it because companies tend to not want to give away information about their supplies and customers.

            In next week’s article we will be going into more in depth on bar coding information and regulations that the UCC (Uniform Commercial Code) have established.

Being Able To Distribute Safe Food To Your Customers Is More Important Than Cutting Costs

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