History is Happening Now

There have recently been a number of cases of salmonella outbreak–more than 1,000, in 41 states–that have been traced back first to tomatoes, now possibly to jalapeno and serrano peppers.  The CDC and FDA call this outbreak “one of the largest in recent memory, and also one of the most complex,” according to the Chicago Tribune.  Dean Acheson, associate FDA commissioner for foods,  is quoted as saying:  “It’s just been a spectacularly complicated and prolonged outbreak.  I don’t have any explanation for it.”  As the FDA continues to explore the mysteries of our food system, the AP reports something that may–just may–give Acheson the explanation he’s looking for.

The AP reports that the food industry lobbied the Bush administration “to limit the paperwork companies would have to keep to help U.S. health investigators quickly trace produce that sickens consumers” and that the White House “also killed a plan to require the industry to maintain electronic tracking records that could be reviewed easily during a crisis to search for an outbreak’s source.”

In other words, the FDA caved in to the industries it is ostensibly designed to regulate.  As Thomas Frank’s forthcoming book, The Wrecking Crew, will no doubt endlessly (and humorously) point out:  this is not an aberration in the functioning of government.  It is rather the governing philosophy of the conservative revolution.  No regulation if possible, industry-created regulation in all other cases.

The AP again:

According to government records reviewed by the AP, business groups met at least 10 times with the White House between March 2003 and March 2004, as the FDA regulations were under debate. Food industry lobbyists successfully blunted proposals using arguments familiar in other regulatory debates: The government’s plans would saddle business with unnecessary and costly regulations.

“The FDA’s strong proposed bioterrorism rules were significantly watered down before they became final,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest. The private advocacy group obtained the White House meeting records under the Freedom of Information Act and provided them to the AP.

Participants in the meetings included companies and trade groups up and down the food chain, including Altria Group Inc. and Kraft Foods Inc., when Altria was Kraft’s parent; The Kroger Co.; Safeway Inc.; ConAgra Foods Inc.; The Procter & Gamble Co.; the American Forest and Paper Association; the Polystyrene Packaging Council; the Glass Packaging Institute; the Cocoa Merchants’ Association of America; the World Shipping Council; and the Food Marketing Institute.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association spent $2.6 million on lobbing in 2003 and 2004, the period when the FDA rules were under consideration, according to federal lobbying records. The Food Marketing Institute spent $1.7 million during the period. The figures were for all lobbying by the trade groups and on their behalf.

Of course, consistent lovers of the “free market,” and haters of all government regulation, will tell you–my previous post on David Brooks and Stephen J. Dubner comes to mind–that this outbreak of salmonella is nothing to worry about.  It’s either the fault of the people who “chose” to eat poisoned food or perhaps–in a more enlightened vein–part of our corrupted “culture of eating poisoned food.”

Some people, softie liberals and crypto-Stalinists, might get mad at the market for giving us this poisoned food, but in reality the market is merely sending signals to consumers.  We need to reform our corrupted norms–which have fallen to shame since the narcissistic hedonism of the ’60s destroyed America–and train ourselves to assiduously avoid those companies that sell us poisoned food and, meanwhile, to patronize those that don’t.

A market solution to a market problem!

No need for “big government” to regulate the hugely complex food industry.  No need to force nice corporations to spend their hard-earned money in ways that might make us–their customers–safer in a crisis.  Why, that would be tantamount to theft!  Altria, Kraft, Kroger, Safeway, ConAgra, Procter & Gamble, and their friends have our best interests at heart.  They wanted to water down the FDA’s “strong proposed bioterrorism rules” because it might “disrupt the availability of consumers’ favorite foods.”

Let’s not even begin talking about the signals honest-to-god bioterrorism might send to the market.