Food Safety- the struggle to protect yourself from foodborne illnesses
The movie Food Inc. featured a segment that included Barbara Kowalcyk (pictured above), a woman who lost her son Kevin to E. coli poisoning in 2001 when he was only 2 ½ years old. Eventually there was a recall on the meat that Kevin had consumed, but the recall came too late to save this little boy’s life. Kevin died before he ever really had a chance to live. Kowalcyk was devastated. She wanted to know where Kevin got E. coli. After Kevin was diagnosed with E. coli, the health department was notified, but their chances of finding answers as to where Kevin contracted the disease were slim. The health department agents told Kevin’s parents there was a 95% chance that they would not find out where Kevin had gotten E. coli. The local and state departments never launched a full investigation because they figured it was a waste of time.
The Kowalcyk’s hired a lawyer to find the answers they wanted. They had to fight the USDA for the information tracking of all the meat recalls in 2001. After 6 months of arguing in court, the Kowalcyk’s and their lawyer received the information. It took from the time they got the information in 2001 to 2003 to review all of the information. The meat Kevin had eaten was part of a recall in August of 2001, and the company it came from had failed the USDA’s Salmonella test twice. Salmonella is usually an indicator that the food contained other food born pathogens. This plant was linked to 3 E. coli outbreaks. It took 25 days of ‘USDA-industry’ negotiations to recall the meat.
First the Kowalcyk’s had to confirm that the grocery store they shop at was selling the recalled meat that Kevin ate. The family eventually filed a lawsuit. They were unable to prove without a doubt that the recalled meat was what Kevin got E. coli from. They were extremely upset that the company who provided the contaminated meat would not be held accountable for their actions.
Barbara Kowalcyk began fighting for the USDA to make changes. She was fighting to make eating safer for the public. In order for this to happen, the USDA would have to do more testing. It is ridiculous that we have to fight our government, something that we should be able to rely on, for laws that would keep us safe. Kowalcyk began the fight for Kevin’s Law. This law is meant to give the USDA the ability to shut down plants that are distributing contaminated meats. It would also require them to preform more testing at plants. Yes- that’s right- it gives the power back to our government. When industry has more power than government, unfortunate events like Kevin’s death are bound to happen.
In an article recently written by Barbara Kowalcyk, she discusses the law passed by President Obama in 2011 with bipartisan support. The law is called the ‘FDA Food Safety Modernization Act’, and it implements new standards on the FDA. This is the first large reform of the FDA since 1938, and it brings a new approach to food safety. It is meant to improve public health by protecting the citizens of the United States from foodborne illnesses. The FDA is required to inspect facilities every 5 to 7 years. This is an improvement from the old standards of having inspections every 8 to 10 years. The law also improves food trace-back systems and foodborne illness surveillance.
The Center for Foodborne Illness is happy with the new protection this law provides for American citizens. In 2001, the year of Kevin’s death, the FDA did not have the resources to properly inspect food factories. They are now working on harsher restrictions so that foodborne illnesses will not take another young life.
The Kowalcyk’s hired a lawyer to find the answers they wanted. They had to fight the USDA for the information tracking of all the meat recalls in 2001. After 6 months of arguing in court, the Kowalcyk’s and their lawyer received the information. It took from the time they got the information in 2001 to 2003 to review all of the information. The meat Kevin had eaten was part of a recall in August of 2001, and the company it came from had failed the USDA’s Salmonella test twice. Salmonella is usually an indicator that the food contained other food born pathogens. This plant was linked to 3 E. coli outbreaks. It took 25 days of ‘USDA-industry’ negotiations to recall the meat.
First the Kowalcyk’s had to confirm that the grocery store they shop at was selling the recalled meat that Kevin ate. The family eventually filed a lawsuit. They were unable to prove without a doubt that the recalled meat was what Kevin got E. coli from. They were extremely upset that the company who provided the contaminated meat would not be held accountable for their actions.
Barbara Kowalcyk began fighting for the USDA to make changes. She was fighting to make eating safer for the public. In order for this to happen, the USDA would have to do more testing. It is ridiculous that we have to fight our government, something that we should be able to rely on, for laws that would keep us safe. Kowalcyk began the fight for Kevin’s Law. This law is meant to give the USDA the ability to shut down plants that are distributing contaminated meats. It would also require them to preform more testing at plants. Yes- that’s right- it gives the power back to our government. When industry has more power than government, unfortunate events like Kevin’s death are bound to happen.
In an article recently written by Barbara Kowalcyk, she discusses the law passed by President Obama in 2011 with bipartisan support. The law is called the ‘FDA Food Safety Modernization Act’, and it implements new standards on the FDA. This is the first large reform of the FDA since 1938, and it brings a new approach to food safety. It is meant to improve public health by protecting the citizens of the United States from foodborne illnesses. The FDA is required to inspect facilities every 5 to 7 years. This is an improvement from the old standards of having inspections every 8 to 10 years. The law also improves food trace-back systems and foodborne illness surveillance.
The Center for Foodborne Illness is happy with the new protection this law provides for American citizens. In 2001, the year of Kevin’s death, the FDA did not have the resources to properly inspect food factories. They are now working on harsher restrictions so that foodborne illnesses will not take another young life.