Learning from outbreaks: creating a culture of food safety October 20, 2006

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Learning from outbreaks creating a culture of
food safetyOctober 20, 2006
Doug Powell Food Safety Network Kansas State
University dpowell_at_kstate.edu

• Ben Chapman
• Food Safety Network
• Tanya MacLaurin
• University of Guelph
• bchapman_at_uoguelph.ca

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Witty Willie

• public statement regarding being caught with a
  bag of Marijuana
• "It's a good thing I had a bag of Marijuana
  instead of a bag of spinach. I'd be dead by now."

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Where did this all go wrong?
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How big of a story is spinach?

• September 13 - October 19 2006
• 2776 stories pulled
• 1758 stories pulled for FSnet
• 672 stories containing spinach
• May 13 - June 16 2006
• 2389 stories pulled
• 1122 stories pulled for FSnet
• 17 stories containing spinach

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Google 830pm September 14
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Fark 930pm September 14
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Blogs 1100pm September 14
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Youtube September 19
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Youtube September 19
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Wiki 1000pm September 14
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Wiki 900am September 18
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Wiki 100pm September 19
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Wiki 100pm September 19
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• foodsafetyinfosheets.ksu.edu
• fsninfosheets.blogspot.com/

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Produce-related media coverage 1995-2003
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Discussion Profile of Media Outbreaks

• Large outbreaks illnesses
• Widespread outbreaks more than one cluster
• Imported produce
• Management practices
• Complete story of investigation
• Stigma of foods

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Recommendations for Risk Managers Addressing Media

• Proactive risk communication strategies
• Expansion of surveillance and inspection
• Employ credible on-farm food safety programs

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Earthbound Farm

• Myra Goodman, a founder and vice president of
  Earthbound
• "Earthbound Farm has been making fresh salads for
  more than 20 years, and there has never been a
  safety problem associated with any of our
  products Any association with this tragedy is
  obviously devastating to us."

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Washington Post September 16

• Jim Gorny United Fresh Produce Association
• "We never thought to look at fruits and
  vegetables before, and now we are.
• "These documents don't just sit on a table. We
  really try to get them out to industry."

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Blast from the past

• Deadly Bacteria a New Threat To Fruit and
• Produce in U.S.
• January 4, 1998
• New York Times
• Christopher Drew and Pam Belluck

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New York Times, September 16

• Robert Eli Perkins, the executive director of the
  Monterey County Farm Bureau,
• was cited as saying the growers were staying out
  of the limelight and waiting for a decisive
  determination of the source of the contamination.

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Chicago Tribune, September 18

• Organic grower Alex Sancen, 38, who quit his job
  as an aluminum factory worker in the Los Angeles
  area two years ago to become a farmer
• "I think the problem is with the handling in the
  restaurants," Sancen said. "Restaurants have more
  bacteria than restrooms. I think part of the
  problem is with the handling."

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Comparing on-farm food safety programs

• Guidelines are similar
• Implementation strategies are missing from many
• Third-party audits are not complete programs
  though may be viewed as such by buyers
• Value for third-party audit programs is in market
  access, not reducing risk
• Auditor consistency
• How do you tell good guys vs. bad guys? Go on the
  farm
• Small vs. large -- imported vs. domestic

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Paisley farms, Columbia County, Long Island --
New York Times, September 29

• Michael Kokas -- Manager
• On receiving questions at farmers market
• "They want to know, Do you have spinach? Is it
  O.K.? Does your farm have E. coli? You have to
  explain the regionality of the problem. You have
  to go through the whole spiel. Its annoying."

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Quebec Grown and Packaged Fresh Spinach Is
Entirely Safe to Eat

• On the other hand, fresh bulk and bagged spinach
  grown in Quebec poses no threat
• Consumers wishing to eat delicious fresh spinach
  without risk are invited to be sure to buy only
  Quebec spinach
• Growers association press release Sept 19
• Is Canadian produce really safer? Lettuce
  outbreak in September as well

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On-farm food safety program strategies

• Industry-led, regulator supported
• Dynamic programs based on best available science
• Involve stakeholders
• Transparent and proactive communication
• Multi-dimensional implementation

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A company/industry will emerge take the market

• This company will
• Be part of a industry united from farm to fork
• Anticipate that outbreaks will happen
• Know their product, risks and how to manage
• Know what happens to pathogens in the system
• Show compassion
• Provide what they do -- open and transparent
• Say products come with risks
• Market food safety and back it up with data

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A company/industry will emerge take the market

• They will not
• Blame their customers
• Charge more for food safety
• Say we've never made anyone sick and we've been
  doing this for x years.
• Say the product you buy from us is risk-free,
  safe, guaranteed, etc.

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Information must be

• Rapid
• Reliable
• Relevant
• Repeated

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