For many years, the food industry pressured the U.S. government to limit the paperwork companies needed to keep in order to help U.S. health investigators quickly trace produce that sickens consumers. The White House, in response, killed a plan to require the industry to maintain electronic tracking records that could be reviewed easily during a crisis.
The result has been a paper record-keeping system that has slowed investigators, causing estimated business losses of $250 million to the food industry as food borne illnesses remain unresolved. So far, nearly 1,300 people in 43 states and Canada have been sickened by salmonella since April.
In 2003 and 2004, the White House agreed to dilute record-keeping proposals by FDA safety experts. Companies complained the proposals were too burdensome and costly.
"If the FDA had been given the resources and authority years ago that it asked for to solve these kinds of problems, I think we would have solved this already," said William Hubbard, a former FDA associate commissioner.