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ZONES OF RESPONSIBILITY:
Grower, Producer, Seller, Government and Consumer
Scott Rickman
Associate General Counsel
Del Monte Corporation
April 11-12, 2008
Seattle University School of Law
Seattle, Washington
Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed herein are the opinions of
the speaker, Scott Rickman, and not necessarily
the opinions of Del Monte Corporation
Who is Responsible?

Manufacturers’ responsibility:
 Produce good food that is safe to eat.
 Provide consumers with special handling instructions.

Consumers’ responsibility:
 Consumers have the ultimate responsibility, because it is the final
responsibility.
Food Safety is Easy

Five principles of food safety:
Practice personal hygiene
 Cook foods adequately
 Avoid cross-contamination
 Store foods at safe temperatures
 Avoid risky foods and water

What do Consumers Know?

Consumers need to be better informed:

76 million people get sick every year from food borne illnesses

Only 25% of people surveyed knew that eggs and dairy
products could be contaminated

Only 25% of people surveyed knew that cooking temperatures
were important to food safety

Consumers can be better informed through public health
campaigns such as:

smoking, heart disease, diabetes, pregnancy, bicycle helmets, seat
belts
Government Responsibility

State v. Federal regulation:
 Ad-hoc v. comprehensive approach
 Federalism v. uniformity

FDA and USDA issues:
 Mandatory recall authority is a red-herring
 Need to increase agency funding and
inspections
 Especially for imported foods
Retailers Role

Major retailers can impact food
safety:
Imposing requirements on their suppliers
 Wal-Mart

 Global
Food Safety Initiative
Reform

Reform must be based on input from all stake-holders:
Government
Producers
Growers
Retailers
Consumers