Officials say food safety efforts must go beyond government recalls, public plays a key role

Citing recent major food recalls including several involving possible listeria in Boar’s Head deli meat , state public health officials are urging consumers to complement the government response by playing their own role in preventing foodborne illness.

“Talking ownership of the piece that we can all play in our own food safety is something that can help round out the entire response,” says Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani.

She says that beyond throwing out recalled food, the effort at home should involve the regular employment of food safety measures.

That includes heating meat to 165 degrees F to kill off potential bacteria.

“If you heat it to 165 degrees,” says Juthani, “the chances are much, much less that you should have listeria or any bacterial pathogen for that matter from whatever meat product it is that you’re eating.”

Juthani and Hartford Director of Health Ebony Jackson-Shaheed also suggest washing fruits and vegetables before eating them. A produce recall recently affected Walmart and Aldi stores.

The government response could be better, too, according to Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). He says 15 federal agencies are responsible for food safety, and that’s too many. He and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT3) have proposed a bill that would streamline the government’s efforts under a new Federal Food Administration (FFA).

“There is no central point of command when it comes to food safety, and there needs to be,” says Blumenthal. “Not just because reaction and recall need to be quicker and more effective, but also because we need to do more in prevention. We shouldn’t be just reacting, we should be preventing.”

Blumenthal says one in six Americans are affected by listeria or other food poisoning each year, and that the proposed FFA would have the budget and the power to match the problem, saying the current system isn't working:

"These widespread recalls are a sign of failure, a sign of lackadaisical and lagging action at the federal level. We need much more proactive and preventative actions there, which we can do if we have an agency with the sole mission of food safety and nutrition."