The best food on the planet I have found so far is in Italy. I know that will cause a fight, but food in Italy is like a sacrament. When I got back, I asked a local restaurant owner what they know about food that us mere mortals do not know. Her first answer? Food safety.
I was surprised — I thought it would be flavors. Why food safety? Because she knows what wise people know: You spend a lifetime building a reputation, but it can be ruined in a moment.
What do you think the fine folks at Taylor Farms would give to not have their name associated with the lettuce outbreak this past summer? (In fact, I would not be surprised if they have to change their name.)
There is a lot of angst out there about food recalls in the news. The president’s opponents see it as a result of cuts in the federal budget. There are a number of counterarguments.
First, isn’t the fact that these problematic foods are being found and dealt with a sign that the system is actually working?
Second, I kind of shake my head every time someone complains that the president cut this or that program. Folks, we are $40 trillion in the hole. We are borrowing money to spend on all of this. Something has to be cut. There are not enough billionaires to tax, and I think all of us would agree we are already taxed enough.
Third, and most importantly, is the assumption that businesses just run roughshod over everything and do whatever they want. As a farmer, I know that is not true.
During my time farming, I have seen regulation rise like a tsunami. We have not had pure, unfettered capitalism since the time of Andrew Jackson. He was the first to use the power of the federal government to rein in business.
In his book, “The Age of Jackson,” Arthur Schlesinger Jr. wrote, “the public conscience, in the form of the democratic government, had to step in to prevent the business community from tearing society apart in its pursuit of profit.”
One hundred and twenty years ago, Theodore Roosevelt used the power of the presidency to break the power of the monopolies and trusts. One of the key achievements of TR was the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
I get it. As a farmer, I am a business guy. (While farming can be a lifestyle, you do not get to enjoy the lifestyle if you can’t pay your bills.)
I know some business people are real jerks. For the record, I am not saying we get rid of food inspectors. I am saying food processors and restaurant owners have plenty of motivation to provide safe food.
Our late friend and former Fresno County Supervisor Phil Larson once told me about a local judge friend of his who said she would not eat at the local casinos because they were not subject to state food safety laws.
Seriously? Especially in this day and age with Yelp and all the other social media, how long do you think they could keep a problem secret? How many customers would they lose? For how long?
Food safety is important. I assure you that it is first and foremost for everyone in the food business, not just government food inspectors.
During one of the E. coli outbreaks decades ago, I was asked what I thought about our food safety system. I told that reporter, considering how they had found that outbreak, I thought they were doing pretty good.
That does not mean we can ever relax about food safety. As wisdom reminds us — building a reputation is the work of a lifetime, and can be lost in a moment.
Farmer, writer and educator Paul Betancourt is a lecturer at Fresno State and has written books on Swiss political history and environmental policy.
