Bill Would Give Consumers More Info on Food Recalls

A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would require regulators to tell the public of all locations where recalled food is sold.

Currently, any food contamination which poses a serious health risk demands the federal government inform the public about where – in which stores – the contaminated food was sold. This restriction allowed the public to stay in the dark on where the meat from the Hallmark-Westland meat recall was sold because it apparently did not pose a serious health risk.

The proposed federal standard would follow California’s suit, as its state law requires the disclosure of all outlets for tainted food products.

Resistance to such laws shows a smugness on the part of the wholesale food industry and a lack of concern for the public health. Any blurring of the line, which currently exists under federal law, allows for a time when a food producer can say it wasn’t sure how serious a situation was. In fact, what is more commonplace in regulated industries is hiding serious, or potentially serious, information.