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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