Let’s Work Together

A retired food quality and safety industry veteran wrote to me after reading my February/March column, “QA/QC Finally Gets Some Respect.” His food industry experience was impressive. But what really struck me was his outlook and foresight. He wrote that in his experience, wake-up calls in the food safety field never seem to last. He cited many food safety examples gone wrong and expressed the opinion that food safety is not an arena for politics, because bugs don’t care which party is in power.

In his years in the industry, he said, there was always one thing he kept in mind. “The food that resulted from these activities must be suitable for consumption by me and my family. Whether I was working for industry, academia, or as a regulator, I was always a consumer of food like everyone around this table. I often was disturbed by coworkers who appeared to forget that they are consumers by asserting that they represented industry, academia, or regulatory agencies. Even professional consumer advocates seem to forget that all of us eat.”

His comments got me thinking. What are the major causes of the food safety supply problems we face today? Quite a few things came to mind, but I want your opinions. I have worked in the food industry for more years than I care to admit, but my experience has been in food industry publishing, and that’s not a very hands-on background. So, in a perfect world, what would the industry need to do to supply the highest quality and safest food possible?

Please email me at [email protected] with your input. Your responses will be kept confidential, so feel free to speak your mind. I will write about some of your ideas in my next column.

Together, we can help each other to create a safer food supply. I look forward to sharing insights and thoughts and collaborating with you. Feel free to e-mail me with your comments, and join the group “Food Quality Magazine” on LinkedIn.com.

All the Best,
Ken Potuznik
Associate Publisher