THE TURKEY "SYNDROME"-CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST!

Recent food poisoning episode involving ground Turkey meat from one of the largest food companies in the world reflects the risks involved in food business. No excuse is adequate to cover up the laxity on the part of the manufacturer to exercise sufficient diligence in ensuring supply of safe foods to the market and retribution is inevitable in the form economic losses due to product recall and damage suits. This episode raises the critical question whether the current incidence is an accident or the manufacturer is a habitual defaulter. If the past records are any indication, it appears such breach of safety regulations has been going on with hardly any punishment meted out for these violations. In this context consumers taking the culprit to the court is nothing but logical and more such court cases can be expected arising out of the callousness of the industry.

"The family of a 10-month-old Troutdale, Oregon girl filed a lawsuit against Cargill Meat Solutions this week, alleging that the child is one of more than 107 people nationwide who became seriously ill with an antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg infection linked to ground turkey produced by the food giant. The lawsuit was filed in Oregon Federal District Court in Portland by Seattle-based food safety law firm Marler Clark. According to the complaint, the child ate Cargill ground turkey as part of a spaghetti and meatballs dinner her father prepared in early June. By June 10, she had developed severe diarrhea and a very high fever. By June 15, following numerous visits to the doctor, the doctors determined that the antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg had entered the child's bloodstream, and she was rushed to Doerenbecher hospital, where she was treated for seven days. The family's attorney, Bill Marler, says Cargill owes it to the family to take responsibility for its actions. "Since 1993, Cargill has been the source of contaminated meat implicated in at least 10 major outbreaks, 10 deaths, three stillbirths and 366 illnesses," said Marler, who is publisher of Food Safety News. "Considering that these illnesses are likely undercounted by a factor of at least 20, those are significant numbers. What would we say if a car company or some other product manufacturer had the same numbers for an ongoing defect,? Since1993, Cargill -- the largest privately held corporation in the U.S. in terms of revenue -- has been responsible for at least 10 major foodborne illness outbreaks, which resulted in 366 illnesses, 10 deaths, and 3 stillbirths. Public health officials have thus far have attributed 107 illnesses and at least one death to the consumption of ground turkey produced by Cargill. On July 29, the company recalled 36 million pounds of ground turkey, the largest Class I meat recall in U.S. history".

One can only admire the environment in a country like the US where judiciary is receptive and responsive to citizens' grievances and taking very little time to dispose of such consumer complaints. In contrast it takes years for getting justice in India and even government initiated food safety violation cases are in limbo because of the "tortoise" like pace of convictions of food criminals. Of course there are critics who feel that trial lawyers in the US are "over eager" to "capture" clients for getting compensation of which they share as much as 50% in many cases! Probably India should have special "Legal Food Courts" with mandate to decide on each case of violation with a reasonable time frame, say 30-60 days. The deterrent quantum of punishment also needs to be enhanced instead of the current puny fines. The so much trumpeted Food Safety Act which took 6 years to materialize from government "cupboard" may be far short of the need at the ground level, assuming it will be implemented with no fear or favor.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
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