Reeling from Food Safety Disasters, U.S. Food Industry Turns to Collective Action
EINNEWS, November 23---Congress may be having difficulty passing a new food safety bill, but the food industry is forging ahead with an aggressive new food safety effort.
The 1,500-member Food Marketing Institute, whose trade association includes most of the nation's largest wholesalers and retailers of food and consumer products, has formed what it calls the "Center for Excellence for Food Safety and Protection."
The effort is designed as a clearing house of food safety experts from business, industry and consumer groups to develop prevention programs and crisis management tools.
In a news release, FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin said, "The Center will serve as a resource to consolidate our knowledge of food safety and strengthen our commitment to ensuring that the food we sell is as safe as possible."
The food industry has been reeling lately from a rash of food scares, recalls, deaths and hospitalizations stemming from contaminated eggs, celery, spinach, milk, cheese and meat products.
FMI's board of directors created the center in hopes of establishing a central clearing-house for food safety and protection information, initiatives and programs. Though much of the center's research and resources will be available for the food and consumer products industry as well as consumers, some information will be for FMI members only," Sarasin said.
The center will be based at FMI's offices in Arlington, VA.
Dr. Jill Hollingsworth, DVM, formerly FMI's group vice president of food safety programs, will lead the center. Hollingsworth worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 15 years where she was responsible fore a wide variety of outbreak investigations, recalls and public health policy.
The 1,500-member Food Marketing Institute, whose trade association includes most of the nation's largest wholesalers and retailers of food and consumer products, has formed what it calls the "Center for Excellence for Food Safety and Protection."
The effort is designed as a clearing house of food safety experts from business, industry and consumer groups to develop prevention programs and crisis management tools.
In a news release, FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin said, "The Center will serve as a resource to consolidate our knowledge of food safety and strengthen our commitment to ensuring that the food we sell is as safe as possible."
The food industry has been reeling lately from a rash of food scares, recalls, deaths and hospitalizations stemming from contaminated eggs, celery, spinach, milk, cheese and meat products.
FMI's board of directors created the center in hopes of establishing a central clearing-house for food safety and protection information, initiatives and programs. Though much of the center's research and resources will be available for the food and consumer products industry as well as consumers, some information will be for FMI members only," Sarasin said.
The center will be based at FMI's offices in Arlington, VA.
Dr. Jill Hollingsworth, DVM, formerly FMI's group vice president of food safety programs, will lead the center. Hollingsworth worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 15 years where she was responsible fore a wide variety of outbreak investigations, recalls and public health policy.
For more food safety news, visit Food Safety News Today (http://foodsafety.einnews.com/), a food safety media monitoring service from EIN News.
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