Study finds many consumers ignore food recalls

Only 60 percent of Americans have checked their cabinets for possibly contaminated food after a recall, a new study on consumer behavior found.

More than 25 percent have thrown away food after hearing about a recall, according to the Consumer Responses to Food Recalls study from Rutgers University, but only 10 percent have actually found a recalled food product.

The telephone survey found that more than one-in-ten Americans had eaten a food they thought had been recalled.

“Despite widespread awareness of recent foodborne illness outbreaks, and a sense that the number of food recalls is increasing, about half of Americans say that food recalls have had no impact on their lives,” William Hallman, a professor of human ecology at Rutgers University, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, said. “Getting consumers to pay attention to news about recalls isn't the hard part but getting them to take the step of actually looking for recalled food products in their homes is a real challenge.”

Why aren't consumers being more careful with possibly contaminated foods?

Eighty-four percent said they pay close attention to news about food recalls, the study found, but a full 50 percent said that food recalls have had no impact on their lives.

Rutgers found that 38 percent of those polled thought that the food products they purchased were less likely to be recalled than those purchased by others.

The study was based on a survey of 1,101 Americans interviewed by telephone from Aug. 4 to Sept. 24, 2008. Since that time, there have been major recalls of both peanuts and pistachios because of salmonella contamination.

FDA launches pistachio recall page

As the scope of the pistachio recall grows, the Food and Drug Administration has launched a page on its Web site to keep consumers informed of developments.

You can search recalled pistachio products or browse the list of participating companies.

The welcome note leaves plenty of room for that list to get bigger:

The FDA and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) are investigating Salmonella contamination in pistachio products sold by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc, Calif. The company has stopped all distribution of processed pistachios and will issue a voluntary recall involving approximately 1 million pounds of its products. Because the pistachios were used as ingredients in a variety of foods, it is likely this recall will impact many products. In addition, the investigation at the company is ongoing and may lead to additional pistachio product recalls.

The FDA's pistachio page joins a similar one to keep track of the still-expanding peanut product recall.

If you're worried about products in your home, check CR's Safety Blog for more news and recalls. 

House votes to let FDA regulate tobacco

The House of Representatives has voted to give the government the power to regulate tobacco products.

From the Associated Press report:

The 298-112 was a significant victory for anti-smoking groups that have long sought to subject cigarettes to the same government scrutiny that food items on the nation's grocery shelves face.

Under the bill, the Food and Drug Administration would be able to regulate, but not ban, cigarettes and other tobacco products. The FDA could make ingredients public, ban flavoring and prohibit marketing campaigns.

The Senate may take up the issue later this month.

Sebelius says health reform would be her mission if confirmed

Senate hearings for Kathleen Sebelius to be confirmed as the Secretary of Health and Human Services began today in the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, a mostly friendly panel for the Kansas governor to face.

Sen. Ted Kennedy, a long-time advocate for health care reform and chair of the committee, kicked off the proceedings by praising Sebelius.

"I’ve benefitted from the best of medicine, but we have too many uninsured Americans. We have sickness care and not health care. We have too much paperwork and bureaucracy. Costs are out of control. But today we have an opportunity like never before to reform health care," Kennedy, who is battling cancer, said. "And we need a secretary of health who has the vision, the skill, and the knowledge to help us get there. Governor Kathleen Sebelius has those traits and more."

Sebelius said in her opening statement that she would fight to achieve one of President Barack Obama's campaign promises and early initiatives.

"Should I be confirmed, health reform would be my mission--as it is the president’s--along with the tremendous responsibility of running this critical department," she said.

But Sebelius also said she would work to improve the Centers For Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration, which has been much criticized after several disease outbreaks caused by tainted food. (Read about the latest recall of pistachios.)

"As Americans focus more on prevention and leading healthier lifestyles, HHS must live up to its responsibility to protect the public from health risks," Sebelius said. "It is a core responsibility of HHS, through the FDA, to ensure the food we eat and the medications we take are safe."

One family's story from inside the salmonella outbreak

As the already long list of recalled peanut products continues to grow in the aftermath of the salmonella outbreak, it can be easy to forget that such a massive problem can become very personal very quickly.

For Jennifer and Justin Krieger, that point was made all too clear when their four-year-old son, David, fell ill during a ski trip in January. After five days of watching their son endure excruciating pain in a hospital, they found out David had been infected with salmonella.

The Kriegers told their story to Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports:

At one point, the doctor came into David’s room and told us that something was definitely growing in his stool sample. You can imagine the horror. The next day it was confirmed that David had been infected with the Salmonella bacteria.

As a parent, the worst thing in life is to see your child fall ill. The thoughts and worries that consume you are unbearable. All you want is to see them laugh, play….eat….again. Eventually, David was stable enough for us to fly back home. He was discharged on January 5th. The diarrhea remained for the next two weeks. Although the most important thing, clearly, is that he recovered, it breaks my heart when he talks about how he wished he had been able to ski. At the hospital, David wouldn’t watch anything but the skiing shows saying “if I feel better, can I go skiing tomorrow?” We dread the worries and memories that will resurface the next time he says “my tummy hurts.” (Read the whole story here.)

David Krieger recovered from his battle with salmonella, but not all who have gotten sick have been so lucky.

As of March 15, 2009, 691 people in 46 states have been infected with salmonella in connection with this outbreak, according to the FDA, and infection may have contributed to nine deaths.

You can search the database of recalled peanut products on the FDA web site.

Visit NotInMyFood.org for more about the Consumers Union campaign to improve food safety.

President calls for FDA reform as Republicans continue to attack the budget

Acknowledging that the Food and Drug Administration is "underfunded and understaffed," President Obama vowed in his weekly address to renew the nation's commitment to food safety.

The President decried the current patchwork of food safety regulation, much of which was enacted around the turn of the century, as outdated and ineffective. The FDA has the capacity to inspect only about 5% of the food processing plants and warehouses. "That is a hazard to public health," Obama said. "It is unacceptable."

President Obama said he approached food safety "not just as your President, but as a parent."

"When I heard peanut products were being contaminated earlier this year, I immediately thought of my 7-year old daughter, Sasha, who has peanut butter sandwiches for lunch probably three times a week. No parent should have to worry that their child is going to get sick from their lunch."

The government will direct $1 billion to modernize labs and hire additional food safety inspectors to help prevent recurrences of the spinach contamination of 2006 and the recent outbreak of salmonella at the Peanut Corporation of America.

The President announced the nomination of Dr. Margaret Hamburg as Commissioner of the FDA along with Dr. Joshua Sharfstein as Principal Deputy Commissioner. The Administration will also create a Food Safety Working Group chaired by the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture and other senior officials to recommend upgrades to our food safety laws.

Consumers Union has called for the Food and Drug Administration to inspect all food processing facilities at least once per year. CU strongly believes that the best way to safeguard our food supply is to unify the government's food safety functions under a single agency.

Meanwhile, the Senate's top Republican tax writer, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, used the Republican weekly address to deliver a scathing attack on the Administration's tax plans.

"[The President's] plans fail to recognize that Americans are not an endless source of tax dollars to pay for government spending," Grassley said, arguing that raising taxes on Americans making more than $250,000 would be devastating for small businesses.

"Tell these business owners their taxes will go up. Odds are, they'll cut spending. They'll cancel orders for new equipment, cut health insurance for their employees, stop hiring, and lay people off.

Grassley said that, if enacted, the President's budget would amount to the "biggest tax increase in history."

"Americans need leadership, and they need confidence now," Grassley continued. "They need their President and their elected representatives to connect all the dots. Jobs are hard-won. The government should first, do no harm."

Reports: Hamburg to be Obama's FDA pick

President Obama intends to nominate Dr. Margaret Hamburg, a former New York City health commissioner, to lead the Food and Drug Administration, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are reporting.

Hamburg is a former health commissioner in New York City and served as assistant secretary in the Health and Human Services Department for President Bill Clinton. She later served as vice president of biological programs at the Nuclear Threat Institute.

The Wall Street Journal is also reporting that Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore's health commissioner, is in line to become a deputy FDA commissioner.

The FDA, one of the few major federal agencies without a new leader, has been defending itself on Capitol Hill today. A bi-partisan parade of lawmakers pledged to overhaul the country's food safety system today at a House hearing held in response to food-borne illness outbreaks such as the ongoing one involving peanut products.

UPDATE: Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, issued a statement supporting the potential nominations of both Hamburg and Sharfstein.

"Dr. Hamburg's nomination would mean that FDA would have the leadership it needs at a time when it faces huge challenges," said Jean Halloran, CU's director of food policy initiatives. "Chief among the challenges facing FDA is food safety. The FDA has been understaffed and underfunded for too long, and has not been able to do its job of policing the marketplace to keep it safe. Dr. Hamburg would first have to help FDA get the budget and authority it needs so it can visit food processors every year, instead of once every ten years, and can inspect their records and impose meaningful penalties on violators."

Ellen Bloom, federal policy director for CU, said, "Dr. Sharfstein is a great choice to help refocus the agency on its primary mission – to protect public health and safety. His years as a health policy advisor for Congressman Waxman coupled with his management experience as Baltimore’s health commissioner are just what the doctor ordered for FDA."