The food industry in the US is gigantic measured by any yardstick and the safety of the products marketed by it is supposed to be overseen by the regulatory agency Food and Drug Administration.(FDA). Because of extraordinarily high consumer expectations about food safety and greater vulnerability of the American consumer to food contamination, even occasional and minor food related episodes create an impression that all is not well with the food industry there. On the contrary FDA has been doing its work reasonably well considering the relatively few incidences of food poisoning out of billions of dollars worth manufactured products in the food sector. The phenomenon of private party auditing resorted to by most manufacturers as a voluntary program for avoiding costly lapses in quality and safety, is deeply ingrained in the US system though there have been instances of abuse of confidence by some errant private auditors. Whether the recent criticism about the private audit system is serious cannot be confirmed unless supported by reliable statistics.
"Problems are rife within the quality control system of the U.S. food industry, which relies on private-sector auditors, industry experts say. Food retail executives and other experts say the voluntary system used by the country's $1 trillion food industry is plagued by conflicts of interest, inexperienced auditors and cursory inspections that produce inflated ratings, The Washington Post reported Friday. The use of private inspectors has increased as companies try to protect themselves from lawsuits and recalls that can damage their brand names. But the inspections don't necessarily mean safer products for consumers, experts say.
"It's a business strategy, not a public-health strategy," said David Acheson, former assistant commissioner for food protection at the Food and Drug Administration. Large chain stores and food producers, wanting assurances about the products they place on their shelves and the ingredients they use in making food, often require that their suppliers undergo regular inspections by independent auditors. This all takes place outside any government involvement. Industry experts say that while such inspections can be useful, a major problem is that auditors are typically paid by the companies they are inspecting, creating a conflict of interest for inspectors who might worry about losing business if they don't give high ratings".
The manpower cost in the US, being one of the highest in the world, employing full time technical personnel permanently in required number to monitor can be a costly proposition for the industry and hence dependence on private auditing system cannot avoided altogether. Besides, the private auditors with no Axe to grind can be expected to be more pragmatic and practical in assessing the processing environment and give a right perspective vis-à-vis safety related issues. If there were no private auditors, the task of FDA would have become unmanageable because of resource and personnel constraints. A few auditors becoming wayward cannot deflect the value of the entire system and more stringent performance standards may have to be evolved for their function.
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