Opinion
Today’s organic consumer is well informed. They have made the connection between quality of life and their own personal responsibility as for how it’s going to play out for them. They understand the risks – the effects of hormones, GMOs, antibiotic, and pesticides – and that’s why they are buying organic. – Christine Bushway, Executive… Continue Reading
Opinion
My life changed forever in June 1996, when my two little sisters were stricken with E. coli O157:H7 infections after eating “triple-washed, ready-to-eat” mesclun lettuce. At first, they suffered horrendous cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. While Chelsea soon recovered, Haylee — who was just three years old at the time — fell critically ill with hemolytic… Continue Reading
When your company’s reputation for all-natural, premium-quality products is 100 years old and the nation’s top chefs comprise your major market, each day’s production has a rather high bar to meet. Mike Satzow, the third-generation owner of North Country Smokehouse, Claremont, N.H., knows not only where that bar is set, but the factors that could… Continue Reading
Opinion
Everybody in Washington, D.C. is running to catch up with the latest dustup over metadata or data mining, or whatever we are supposed to call it. One after another, we seem to have finally entered the twilight zone of scandals. The director of the FBI appears clueless and a high school dropout with a security… Continue Reading
Opinion
If you were not legally responsible for the food you sold, why would you give a %^&$ about food safety? The next time you walk down the produce aisle (with your kid in tow) picking out fruits and vegetables to feed your family, ask yourself the question I ask myself when I do the same:… Continue Reading
Opinion
Since 1980, U.S. dietary guidelines have advised eating less sodium (salt is 40% sodium, 60% chloride). Although sodium is an essential nutrient, most Americans consume way more than they need or is good for them—around 3,400 milligrams a day. The 2010 guidelines advised healthy people to consume no more than 2,300 mg per day (~6 grams, or… Continue Reading
Opinion
The latest example of how even health-conscious eaters are not immune from foodborne illness outbreaks came last week with a recall of organic frozen berries contaminated with Hepatitis A. The products were sold under the brand name of Townsend Farms at two large chains: Costco stores in the West and Harris Teeter stores in the East…. Continue Reading
Opinion
How many calories are in a bottle of beer? How much alcohol is there in a shot of whiskey? How many serving are in a bottle of wine? Consumers would probably be hard-pressed to know the answers to these questions. Fortunately, that may soon change. Late last month, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade… Continue Reading
In the decade since the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued 9 CFR Part 430, “Control of Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Meat and Poultry Products; Final Rule”, concern over L. monocytogenes contamination of RTE meat products in retail delis has “blown up.” As evidence of that concern, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)… Continue Reading
Opinion
I know lawyers suffer from an image problem. Most people think we spend our weekend on fancy golf courses or driving jet boats around tropical isles. I actually like driving jet boats at high speed. I had one once. But I don’t have any time anymore, especially in the aftermath of each of these continued… Continue Reading
Opinion
Sometimes, I must say, the “mechanism” that publicly responds to outbreaks of foodborne illness just seems to lack much passion. It does not seem to know how to express a sense of urgency. It has a seemingly endless ability to make every event sound the same. The “mechanism” I speak of is the entire chain… Continue Reading