Food Safety

David Kessler is entitled to a rest. In six years as head of the Food and Drug Administration he has worked under two presidents, one a Democrat and one a Republican, and Democratic and Republican congresses. He has been both vilified and lionized for pushing his agency to the forefront on issues such as tobacco, breast implants and the safety of food and drugs. Indeed, Kessler's leadership of the often embattled agency has been so forceful that one is hard-pressed to recall his predecessors.

Supermarket executives at the annual convention of their trade association this week announced the creation of a task force to deal with contamination threats because, in the words of the group's vice president, "nothing is more important than food safety." The program is being organized by the Food Marketing Institute, whose members operate 21,000 supermarkets with combined annual sales of $220 billion--more than half of all food grocery sales in the country.

McDonald's Corp. is testing changes to its menu that include preparing much of its food elsewhere and warming it in restaurants. Seeking to save money and, in some cases, improve food safety, the chain is switching to non-toasted buns and allowing restaurants to use pasteurized liquefied eggs rather than fresh eggs in breakfast foods. The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company is also reportedly experimenting with precooked meat patties and pre-made pancakes that would be reheated in restaurants.

The Food and Drug Administration is overhauling how it determines what chemicals are safe to add to food, after complaints that it spends years approving such additives as fat substitutes. But lawmakers said the program, unveiled Thursday, does not go far enough, and one even suggested taking food responsibility away from the FDA. "We should consider putting this whole function in another agency--Agriculture--if it can't be fixed in the FDA," Rep. David McIntosh (R-Ind.) said.

An ambitious Agriculture Department proposal to modernize the nation's meat and poultry inspection system, which includes mandatory laboratory testing for contamination and detailed record keeping requirements, will significantly increase the responsibilities required of slaughter and processing companies--if it passes Congressional scrutiny. The proposal arrives at a time when the Republican-controlled Congress is calling for a moratorium on all new federal regulations.

The Clinton Administration on Tuesday announced a vast expansion in the way the government inspects and monitors seafood, citing tens of thousands of cases of consumer poisonings every year by tainted fish and shellfish. The new seafood regulations are the first of a series of such regulations likely to apply to a wide range of food products in coming years, including fresh meat and poultry.

Thirty sidewalk and street vendors trained in food preparation, sanitation and handling have earned certificates from a Mission College culinary arts program and will receive state food handling permits. The vendors, once targeted by Los Angeles city health officials for operating unregulated, sometimes unsanitary food stands, completed the yearlong course with the aid of a $250,000 city grant. They will be honored at the college's culinary arts awards ceremony at 6 p.m.

Opinion surveys indicate that most Americans are either ignorant, confused or careless when it comes to dealing with the dangers posed by the modern food supply. During this time of year, when many people entertain at home and cook large holiday meals, the risks are especially great. For some, holiday food preparation is a once-a-year task. A recent report of the Institute of Food Technologists states that most cases of food-borne illness happen because of mistakes in the home.