Food Safety

5 Reasons Consumer Distrust In Our Food Supply Is Rising

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 20:38:14 GMT

Bread, check. Blueberries, check. As I wheel my grocery cart alongside the deli case, I’m taken aback at what I see. Rather, it is what I don’t see that has me wondering, “What in the world?” This section of my favorite grocery store is now almost completely empty, except for a couple of ham loaves and a renegade block of cheese.

In a slightly distraught tone I ask the worker behind the counter, “What’s going on?” He hesitates for a moment, then replies, “The store is in the process of changing suppliers for our deli products. We should have more of a selection next week.” Then it dawns on me: my favorite brand of deli meat and cheese, Boar’s Head, has officially been blacklisted by my go-to grocery store.

I should not have been surprised. Boar’s Head began its fall from public grace on July 26, 2024, when the company issued a recall for more than 207,528 lb. of product due to potential listeria contamination. The CDC linked the contamination to 61 illnesses and, tragically, 10 deaths. It was the worst listeria outbreak in the U.S. in over a decade.

The outbreak was ultimately traced to a production line at the company’s Jarratt, Va., plant. According to USDA inspection reports, which USA Today had to obtain through a Freedom of Information Act request, 69 reports of non-compliance were recorded at the Jarratt plant between 2023 and 2024. What was in those reports was unsettling. Documentation of insects live and dead, black and green mold, mildew, dripping and standing water, as well as other unsanitary conditions within the plant in the weeks leading up to the July recall. In a move that was too little too late, Boar’s Head announced on Sept. 13, 2024 that the Jarratt plant would be closed permanently.

In 1906, Upton Sinclair published his famous novel “The Jungle,” which exposed the horrific conditions in the meatpacking industry at the time. The writer’s work proved to be an instant bestseller to the masses. The irony is that nearly 120 years later, one might find it hard to discern whether they’re reading a current USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) report or a chapter straight out of “The Jungle.”

Just One Of Many
The Boar’s Head case was only one the high profile food recalls last year. Remember the E. coli contaminated onions on McDonald’s quarter pounders? Then, Costco issued a massive recall on their Kirkland Signature brand of organic eggs because of a threat of Salmonella. And to cap off the year with the scariest illness yet, on Dec. 18, 2024, the CDC confirmed a patient in Louisiana had been hospitalized with the nation’s first severe case of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus, aka the “bird flu.”

If it seems that the number of food recalls are coming at us at a more fast and furious pace than ever, then your gut instinct is spot on. The Food and Drug Administration, which reports food and cosmetics together, says 1,908 such products were recalled in the fiscal year that ended in September. That’s the highest number since 2019. Such a constant barrage of warnings is having a serious affect on consumers’ overall psyche — and not in a positive way. According to a September 2024 Gallup report, only 57% of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of confidence in the government to keep food safe. This number is a 27 point decrease since 2019, and is a record low for the Gallup Consumption Habits Poll since its inception in 1999.

This explosion of 20th century foodborne illnesses has me asking the same question I asked the worker behind the deli counter: “What’s going on?”

5 Reasons To Be Skeptical
There are multiple reasons consumers have good reason to be less confident in the safety of their food.

First, there’s the government. Second, more and more of our food is imported, which makes it harder to inspect. Third, you have a growing quest for more natural food, which sometimes circumvents traditional inspection channels. Fourth, industry consolidation means only a handful of players control both the production and processing. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but if something goes wrong, it’s probably going to be big. Finally, we now have the ability, through more technology and data, to find, detect and isolate the specific source of contamination and document it.

Time For An Overhaul
Food safety policy and implementation at the government level is in need of a serious overhaul. There is a chance it could actually happen. In 2018, the previous Trump administration proposed consolidating federal food oversight into a single agency with USDA.

There are so many common sense things that a fully functioning food agency could do. For one, start with better and more noticeable country of origin labeling (COOL) on imported foods. It should be prominent, displaying the country’s flag as the primary indicator of origin. If nothing else, we’ll all get better at geography. Next, companies that embrace new technologies that prevent contamination should be rewarded with tax credits. We do it for electric cars. Why not for safer food?

Finally, the most important change needs to come in the form of accountability and transparency both from the food industry itself and the government that regulates it. That didn’t happen in the case of Boar’s Head, and 10 people lost their lives because of it. In the age of AI and social media, those FSIS plant inspection reports should be posted on platforms such as X and Facebook for the public to see in real time. Without such transparency, we’re no better off than we were back in 1906.

Farmers Speak Up On The Importance Of Global Ag Innovation

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 18:06:35 GMT

By Whitney McFerron

There are many benefits of having strong agricultural industries and thriving food systems both in the U.S. and abroad. In the U.S., agriculture contributes over $1.5 trillion to our GDP, thanks to our farmers’ high production efficiency and strong exports into global markets.

It’s also important that agricultural industries outside of the U.S. remain strong. History shows when countries have better food security and growing economies, they can actually increase imports, creating new trading partners for the U.S. Countries that are more food and nutrition secure are also more stable.

A recent report from Farm Journal Foundation found global hunger and malnutrition are linked to numerous geopolitical risks, including immigration, radicalization, terrorist threats and environmental degradation, so it’s important smallholder farmers abroad have the tools they need.

The more than 30 farmers in Farm Journal Foundation’s Farmer Ambassador program, who come from 23 states and represent all aspects of American agriculture, understand the value of investing in ag innovation and development both in the U.S. and overseas.

In 2024, Farmer Ambassadors and Farm Journal Foundation staff held more than 100 meetings in Washington, D.C., with members of Congress, legislative staff and executive branch officials to educate them on the value of investing in agricultural research, global food and nutrition security programs, and international agricultural development.

Iowa Farmer Ambassador Sarah Tweeten and Delaware Farmer Ambassador David Marvel are among the more than 30 Farmer Ambassadors in the program.

(Farm Journal Foundation)

Using Innovations to Solve Challenges
Farmers all over the world face significant challenges as volatile input costs, extreme weather events and shocks such as COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war have made agriculture more unpredictable than ever. One way to help farmers prepare for risks is to invest in agricultural research and innovation.

Drought-resistant crops, new treatments for crop and livestock diseases, and precision agricultural technologies are all innovations that can make a big difference for farmers operating on razor-thin margins.

Public institutions that conduct agricultural research are extremely important for driving innovation. They often focus research on underrepresented areas, such as food safety, animal health, pests and disease treatments, and crops with smaller acreage in the U.S., such as wheat, rice and sorghum. Importantly, public sector research often helps unlock early stage innovations that can later be developed by the private sector. One important institution funded by the U.S. government is the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), which invests in impactful public-private partnerships in agricultural research and matches on average an additional $1.40 in private sector funding for every taxpayer dollar.

Public investment in agricultural R&D has an extremely high return on investment, returning about $20 to the U.S. economy for every $1 spent, according to USDA. In spite of this, USDA data also shows public funding for agricultural research has been declining for the past two decades. At the same time, competitors, including China and the European Union, already outspend the U.S. on public agricultural research, putting America’s position in global agricultural trade at risk, according to a Farm Journal Foundation report.

There are more than 30 farmers in Farm Journal Foundation’s Farmer Ambassador program, who come from 23 states and represent all aspects of American agriculture.

(Farm Journal Foundation)

Championing Agricultural Innovation Across the Country
Farm Journal Foundation’s Farmer Ambassadors are working hard to reverse this trend. Along with meetings in Washington, D.C., they held numerous events around the country to educate important stakeholders about the value of investing in and scaling innovation. They also participated in public speaking engagements, interviews with media outlets, and wrote op-eds in news publications about this important issue.

For example, Farmer Ambassador Kassi Tom-Rowland hosted U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-Ind., on a tour of her Indiana row-crop farm, followed by a public discussion about how global food and nutrition security impacts U.S. national security. California Farmer Ambassador Colby Pereira hosted U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., at her produce operation, Braga Fresh, to discuss how U.S. agricultural innovations can support international development.

Farmer Ambassador Renee Strickland, a cattle rancher from Florida, authored an op-ed in the Miami Herald on how farmers were impacted by hurricanes last year and how investments in agricultural innovation could make them more resilient. Farmer Ambassadors A.G. Kawamura of California and Brad Doyle of Arkansas also participated in events on the international stage, speaking at side events and briefings hosted by Farm Journal Foundation at the UN Climate Conference COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

As a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, Farm Journal Foundation works to educate both Republicans and Democrats on global food and nutrition security. Fortunately, many members on both sides of the aisle are champions for ag development and innovation. The Foundation looks forward to continuing its work this year with the new government administration, and as Congress continues debating important legislation, such as the farm bill.

Agriculture is a dynamic, innovative industry that is critical to food security, national security and economic growth. Farm Journal Foundation Farmer Ambassadors, and countless other farmers across the country, understand the value of supporting agricultural innovation and development both in the U.S. and overseas, and they are using their voices to bring more champions to support this important cause.

FDA Proposes New Front-of-Package Food Labeling to Help Consumers Make Healthier Food Choices

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:58:33 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a new front-of-package (FOP) labeling rule aimed at helping consumers make healthier food choices quickly and easily. This “Nutrition Info box,” a black-and-white design, will display levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars, categorized as “Low,” “Med,” or “High,” along with the percent Daily Value for each nutrient.

Based on extensive research involving nearly 10,000 U.S. adults, this initiative seeks to complement the existing Nutrition Facts label and simplify decision-making for shoppers. If finalized, large manufacturers would have three years to comply, while smaller businesses (less than $10 million in annual food sales) would have four.

Example of Proposed Info Box

(FDA )

The FDA anticipates this measure will empower consumers, encourage healthier product formulations, and contribute to reducing chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

“For example, when comparing yogurt, the Nutrition Info box could help them identify a yogurt that is lower in added sugars,” said FDA in a statement.

Public comments on the proposal are open until May 16, 2025.

This new label is designed to complement the existing Nutrition Facts label found on the back of food packages, providing a more accessible and quick-reference guide for consumers.

FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D., emphasized the importance of this proposal, stating, “It is time we make it easier for consumers to glance, grab and go. Adding front-of-package nutrition labeling to most packaged foods would do that.”

FDA also says that by displaying simplified, at-a-glance, nutrition information that details and interprets the saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar content of a food as “Low,” “Med,” or “High” on the front of food packages would provide consumers with an accessible description of the numerical information found in the Nutrition Facts label.

What are other examples of what the nutrition info boxes could look like? FDA provided the examples below.

Examples of nutrition box info.

(FDA)

More than Hangry: What’s Really at Stake in Global Food Insecurity?

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 01:55:33 GMT

Do you remember what a trip to the grocery store was like at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, or thereafter?

Store shelves sat void of product as packers and shippers were unable to keep up with consumer demand. Trade slowed to a pace that led to a bottleneck of ships and trucks at ports and warehouses respectively.

D.C. made note of these supply chain downfalls and tried to pivot with funding, pop-up ports and weakened transportation regulations. While some of those supply chain links have been soldered in the past year, Russia’s war against Ukraine has added new pressure to global food security.

But the pressure doesn’t stop short of the supply chain, according to many government officials.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), someone known to say, “food security is national security,” shared a conversation with Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen, along with a panel of policy, science and agricultural experts in Ames, Iowa, on Thursday to break down what’s really at stake in rising global food security.

Food Fuels Peace

The United Nations estimates that world hunger increased 1.5 percent in 2020 to roughly 800 million people.

With rising world hunger numbers, Ernst points to the war in Ukraine, extreme weather and the COVID-19 pandemic as fuel on the food insecurity fire. Ernst, along with Larry Sailer, an Iowa farmer and a farmer ambassador with Farm Journal Foundation, say these challenges pose an increasing threat to national security.

“Agriculture is the first building block of any economy, so maintaining a vibrant and innovative farming sector is absolutely critical to lift people out of poverty, build strong economies and eliminate hunger,” said Sailer. “A hungry person is not a peaceful person. National security for all countries depends on less hunger.”

Minimizing Global Hunger

The answer, according to Katie Lee, vice president of government affairs at Farm Journal Foundation, is rooted in ag research and development.

“The challenges we are seeing today, and the resulting impact on food prices and global hunger, should be a wakeup call that we need to invest more in agricultural research and development,” said Lee.

Following a tour of Iowa State University’s Seed Science Center , the largest seed lab in the world, Lee shared that ag innovation, like Iowa State’s, will be “vital” as populations continue to grow and natural resources are strained.

Up the Ante

Global hunger has been addressed for decades by groups like United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme. However, attention has been diverted from science, especially in the public sector, according to Wendy Wintersteen, Iowa State University president.

“Agricultural research and innovation like that happening at Iowa State University impacts nearly every major societal challenge, but this area of science has been massively underfunded for decades,” said Wintersteen. “Increasing our national investment in agricultural research is vital to support the public good and ensure our country’s leadership and competitiveness.”

While private sector research has significantly impacted yields for commodity groups like corn and soybeans, the public sector can support early research to “pave the way for long-term innovations,” according to Farm Journal Foundation’s press release of the event.

“The innovative agricultural research happening at Iowa State University is vital to finding the necessary solutions to combat global hunger,” said Ernst. “Ultimately food security is national security.”

More on trade:

Russia Sparks New Trouble in Grain and Oil Exports
John Phipps: Are Tariffs Part Of The Problem With Inflation?
3 Supply Chain Trends to Look Out for in 2023, According To AEM

The Impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 15:32:05 GMT

As one of the last acts of the 111th Congress, President Barack Obama signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) on January 4, 2011, a law which was aimed at updating and strengthening the regulatory authorities and tools of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that they use to protect the wholesomeness of the U.S. food supply. FDA is one of two federal agencies with the primary responsibility of overseeing the safety of food products consumed in the United States, along with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). FSIS has jurisdiction over the meat and poultry sectors, while FDA has jurisdiction over every other type of food. FDA’s writ covers about 75 percent of the U.S. food supply.

These steps were taken in response to several serious foodborne illness outbreaks that had occurred in the U.S. food sector, such as the widespread problems with E. Coli in the spinach supply in 2006 and the salmonella cases from a single peanut processing facility in Georgia in 2008. The latter outbreak caused 700 cases of salmonella poisoning, including seven deaths, and resulted in a criminal trial for the former CEO of the company responsible in 2015. The CEO received a 28-year prison sentence for the 70 criminal counts he was found guilty of, including knowingly shipping tainted food across state lines, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and wire fraud.

Since the legislation was signed into law more than a decade ago, FDA has worked diligently to implement its major provisions. FSMA changed the mindset at FDA away from responding to outbreaks that had already occurred to taking steps to prevent them by reducing the pathogen loads and risk of cross-contamination on farms and in food processing facilities. Their rulemaking effort was complicated by the fact that Congress gave medium and small businesses and farms engaged in the agri-food sector a much longer timeline to come into compliance with the new rules, and the very smallest businesses, those with average annual food sales less than $25,000, were exempted from the new rules. Producers of food grains and specialty crops that are rarely consumed in their raw form, such as pumpkins, asparagus, and dry beans, are also exempt from compliance. While most of the rules were in place by 2015, for the smaller businesses covered by FSMA, full compliance was not required until 2018. Businesses with less than $500,000 in annual food sales and who sell primarily through direct to consumer outlets or local markets can receive qualified exemptions, which must still meet some modified requirements.

Over the last several years, FDA promulgated major rules in the following seven areas based on provisions included in FSMA:

• Preventive Controls for Human Food – Human food facilities registered with the FDA must implement a written plan that identifies hazards and outlines appropriate preventive controls
• Preventive Controls for Animal Food – Animal food facilities registered with the FDA must implement a written plan that identifies hazards and outlines appropriate preventive controls
• Produce Safety – Establishes minimum standards for growing, harvesting, packing, and storing produce
• Foreign Supplier Verification Program – Importers must verify that their global suppliers comply with FDA regulations
• Third-Party Certification – Accredits third-party certification bodies to administer voluntary consultative and regulatory audits to help companies prepare for regulatory audits or achieve certifications
• Food Defense (intentional adulteration) – Food facilities registered with the FDA must develop a plan that assesses contamination vulnerabilities and document a mitigation strategy for each vulnerability
• Sanitary Transportation – New requirements for companies that transport food, including shippers, receivers, loaders, and carriers
Violations of FSMA can result in a re-inspection of the facility in question, a food recall order if the contamination is pervasive, seizure of shipments of contaminated food, and even arrest of responsible individuals or suspension of FDA licenses of facilities, resulting in temporary or even permanent closure of operations there.

Data on reported incidence of foodborne illness in the United States as collected by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) indicate that cases of illness due to infections from salmonella and campylobacter increased slightly between 2015 and 2019, but those pathogen exposures are known to derive primarily from consumption of meat and poultry, which are not under FDA’s jurisdiction. On the other hand, cases of foodborne illness from shigella and listeria either fell or were stable during the same period, suggesting some improvement in the food safety situation over that period.

According to preliminary CDC statistics for foodborne illnesses in 2020, the incidence of such illnesses fell by 26 percent in the United States as compared to the 2017-19 average, believed to largely be the result of changes in food consumption patterns and human behavior as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that emerged in March of 2020. Experts point to improved hygienic practices on the parts of individuals, the mass closure of restaurants and other institutional settings such as school cafeterias, reduced international travel, and reduction of emergency room visits due to fears of contracting COVID-19 in hospitals as the major factors contributing to this marked decline.

The FSMA rulemaking process is still going on more than ten years later. On December 2nd, 2021, FDA issued a proposed rule that would require farms to conduct comprehensive assessments that would help them identify and mitigate hazards in water used to grow produce. This proposal would replace the current microbial criteria and testing requirements for pre-harvest agricultural water for covered produce (other than sprouts) with provisions for systems-based agricultural water assessments that are designed to be more feasible to implement across the wide variety of agricultural water systems, uses, and practices. Under the Administrative Procedures Act, comments on the proposed rule are due to be submitted within 120 days of its appearance in 7the Federal Register.

Uncovering the Food-based Version of “Stolen Valor”

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 23:08:34 GMT

By Bill Horan: Rockwell City, Iowa

“We care deeply about where our ingredients come from,” says Chipotle Mexican Grill on its website .

Yet the restaurant chain apparently doesn’t care enough to tell the truth about them, judging from the result of a recent court case: Chipotle agreed last month to pay $6.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that had charged the company with falsely advertising that its food was free of GMOs.

Critics have spread misinformation about GMOs from the start. They’ve denied and misled about what the science says (they’re safe ), how they help farmers like me (we grow more food ), how they protect the environment (we conserve land and keep soil healthy ), how they benefit consumers (by holding down food prices ), and more.

Once upon a time, the lies about GMOs were confined to the wild manifestos of ideological activists on the fringe of politics. Now they’ve gone mainstream, turning up in thousands of phony product claims. Chipotle just got caught and will pay a price—but many other brands continue to deceive.

We hear provocative lies all the time, from politicians, the media, and others. One of the most flamboyant involves military imposters: Liars who make false claims about military service and, for example, put Purple Heart citations on their license plates even though they were never wounded.

As a veteran of the Vietnam War, I’ve always been outraged to learn of these deceptions—and I’m glad that they began to receive exposure two decades ago, starting with an investigative book by authors B.G. Burkett and Glenna Whitley, “ Stolen Valor .”

Chipotle tried to flaunt its own supposedly valorous behavior when it claimed that its burritos and tacos contained no GMO ingredients. It sought to tout its own virtue for keeping allegedly harmful elements out of its food.

This was false on two levels. First, GMOs are perfectly safe to eat. Nobody who has seriously looked into the matter disputes this. To suggest otherwise, as Chipotle did, is to encourage the spread of disinformation and consumer ignorance.

Second, Chipotle’s own food chain was full of GMOs. The animals that supplied much of its meat were raised on GMOs. So the company’s ads were case studies in hypocrisy.

Chipotle got caught and now will suffer from its settlement costs and negative publicity. That’s the good news. The bad news is that our food industry is rife with similar examples of fraud.

Have you ever seen a food package with a special label that boasts non-GMO ingredients? Of course you have: The Non-GMO Project says that items bearing its label appear on more then 50,000 products for more than 3,000 brands, comprising a market worth more than $26 billion annually.

Here’s the problem: Much of this food actually contains GMOs. The Non-GMO Project doesn’t like to broadcast this fact, but it admits as much on page 15 of a 44-page document squirreled away on its website. (For a good overview, watch this video.)

Non-GMO Project label doesn’t necessarily mean free of GMOs | AGDAILY

That’s not the only sham, unfortunately. Many products that carry the non-GMO label aren’t even available in GMO varieties. There’s no such thing as non-GMO salt, for example. Salt doesn’t have genes so nobody can modify them. Every grain of salt ever sold in the history of salt is non-GMO. All the varieties of salt in your grocery store could bear a non-GMO label. And yet some kinds of salt try to brag about their non-GMO content.

This is ridiculous. It’s a form of false advertising. It promotes consumer ignorance because it implies that non-GMO foods are better or healthier than GMO foods.

At least one company has seen the light. Clover Leaf Seafood once placed non-GMO labels on its canned tuna and other products. Unlike salt, tuna have genes, but there’s still no such thing as GMO tuna. Clover Leaf Seafood recognized the absurdity of suggesting otherwise and reversed course. (Here’s another helpful video.)

Clover Leaf Seafood addresses its non-GMO labeling | AGDAILY

Thank you, Clover Leaf Seafood, for believing in the integrity of food labels and respecting your consumers.

Sadly, its wise decision is the exception rather than the rule.

Bogus claims about GMOs are everywhere. If we stand by and tolerate them, they’ll cause people to lose faith in food companies, nutritional labels, and possibly even the honest work of ordinary farmers.

This scandal is nothing less than a food-based version of “stolen valor”—a bit of trickery that means to dupe everyday people into believing a lie.

Bill Horan grows corn, soybeans and other grains with his brother on a family farm based in North Central Iowa. Bill volunteers as a board member for the Global Farmer Network where this column originates (www.globalfarmernetwork.org).