Who

1
Whos Minding the Store? The Current State of
Food Safety And How It can be Improved Seattle,
Washington April 12, 2008 Barbara Kowalcyk, M.A.

Director of Food Safety Center for Foodborne
Illness Research Prevention

2
Current Food Safety System

• Faith Based Food Safety
• Dearth of Information
• Antiquated, fracturized, ambiguous, overlapping
  regulatory system
• Inconsistent, inadequate surveillance whose
  function is not well understood
• Tort system is the regulatory system
• Unstable, uneven, limited resources
• Decreasing consumer confidence

3
How Can It Be Improved?

• Global farm to fork approach
• Risk based, science driven approach
• Regulatory Reform
• Single Food Safety Agency
• Product tracing
• Enforceable standards
• Better Epidemiology and Surveillance
• Better Laboratory Detection Methods
• Improve knowledge
• Dedicated funding for food safety
• Prevention is key

4
Kevin Michael Kowalcyk, age 2 1/2 12/10/98 -
8/11/01
5
Timeline

• July 22 Art Fair hamburgers consumed by Megan,
  Kevin and Michael.
• July 24 Megan and Kevin consume home prepared
  hamburgers.
• July 26 Family consumes home prepared
  hamburgers.
• July 27 Megan has loose bowel movement.
• July 31 Kevin has onset of symptoms.
• August 1 Emergency room visit and stool sample
  taken.
• August 2 Kevin is hospitalized, confirmed
  O157H7. Local health department contacted.
• August 3 Kevins kidneys fail and he is
  transferred to Childrens Hospital.

6
Timeline

• August 6 Local health department contacted
  again. Family spends nearly 2 hours being
  interviewed.
• August 8 or August 9 - All family members submit
  stool specimens for laboratory testing.
• August 11 Kevin dies at 820 pm from
  multi-organ failure.
• August 16 Kevins funeral.
• September 10 Family contacts local health
  department for more information. First learn of
  Michael and Megans positive laboratory results.
• September 12 Family contacts health department
  with questions about potential exposures.
• September 18 Family contacted the health
  department and told the investigation was closed.
  

7
Timeline

• September 2001 Family is frustrated and
  contacts MarlerClark.
• - 25 record requests
• - 9 public agencies
• - Investigation lasted over 3 years

8
Records Requests Responses

• First requests out to local and state health
  departments, September 2001
• Local responds October 15, 2001
• State health acknowledges October 22, 2001,
  responds November 15, 2001
• State PHL responds November 20, 2001
• 5 Xba PFGE matches in Wisconsin (5 different
  counties)

9
Records Requests Responses

• FOIA requests submitted to USDA, CDC in
  October/November 2001.
• No response, lawsuit threatened.
• Partial data supplied, lawsuit threatened.
• Partial data supplied, lawsuit threatened.
• Finally, receive all responses in February 2003.
• Newspaper reports of O157 outbreak in Minnesota
  prompted record requests to local and state
  health agencies in Florida and Minnesota.
• No epidemiologic link to Kevin found.

10
July 16, 2003
The Xba1 and Bln1 Bionumeric pattern designations
for 01BC2510 are Xba EXHX01.0074 Bln1
EXHA26.0014 The Xba1 and Bln1 Bionumeric pattern
designations for two USDA ground beef samples
collected 8/31/01 are Xba1 EXHX01.0074 Bln1
EXHA26.0014
11
FSIS Recalls August 2001
August 13, 2001
August 27, 2001
12
FSIS Recall for Ground Beef

• July 2001 O157H7 outbreak identified in
  Chicago and Northern Illinois. Traced back to
  Wisconsin meat plant.
• August 2, 2001 FSIS conducts O157H7 test in
  plant which is positive. Matches Kevins PFGE
  pattern.
• August 11, 2001 Kevin dies.
• August 27, 2001 Establishment recalls 530,000
  pounds of ground beef.
• July 2003 Match between Kevins PFGE pattern
  and recall recognized.

13
Product Traceback

• November 2003 - Local Grocer asked to provide
  records.
• May 2004 Grocer declines to provide records.
• July 2004 - Marler Clark files suit to force
  release of records.
• September 2004 records provided, two kinds of
  ground beef sold in July 2001.

14
Conclusions

• Unable to conclusively establish link between
  food consumed and producer.
• Litigation abandoned in late 2004.

Kevin Kowalcyk 12/10/98 - 8/11/01
15
Current Food Safety System

• Faith Based Food Safety
• Dearth of Information
• Antiquated, fracturized, ambiguous, overlapping
  regulatory system
• Inconsistent, inadequate surveillance whose
  function is not well understood
• Tort system is the regulatory system
• Unstable, uneven, limited resources
• Decreasing consumer confidence

16
How Can It Be Improved?

• State and local health agencies
• Educators
• Government
• Industry
• Legal system

17
Ultimate goal is to prevent this from happening
to others.
18
Be the change you want to see in the world. -
Ghandi

19
For more information, please contact Center for
Foodborne Illness Research Prevention P.O. Box
206 Grove City, PA 16127 (724)
458-0767 kowalcyk_at_foodborneillness.org www.foodbo
rneillness.org

20
Thank You