Back in 2011, President Obama signed the long-awaited–and much-needed–Food Safety Modernization Act into law. The act updated America’s food safety system for the first time since the Great Depression and “represents a sea change for food safety in America, bringing a new focus on prevention,” noted Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., commissioner of food and drugs at the Food and Drug Administration.
Now the FDA has the authority to enforce food safety measures domestically and internationally, including mandating food recalls (before, recalls were voluntary) and blocking food imported from countries or producers who refuse FDA inspections. As Hamburg notes, half of our fresh fruit, 20% of of our vegetables and 80% of our seafood is imported. However, lack of funding has made implementing measures in the act slow at best.
An avalanche of high-profile food recalls in 2010 may have encouraged lawmakers to pass the act. From the nationwide recall that reclaimed more than a half-billion eggs through a recall of potentially tainted baked goods sold at Whole Foods, 2010 may go down as the year of the food recall. As Kurt noted in his commentary about the egg recall, large-scale industrially cultivated food that’s distributed nationwide can create nationwide food-safety problems.
The real fight is just beginning, says Marion Nestle, author of Safe Food: The Politics of Food Safety (University of California Press), because Republican lawmakers have repeatedly balked at appropriating the estimated $1.4 billion needed to implement the law’s measures. Without the money, the law won’t have teeth. That’s bad news for the 1 in 6 Americans who are sickened by food-borne illnesses every year (not to mention the 3,000 killed by tainted food), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the meantime, Bill Marler, an attorney who has devoted his career to litigating foodborne illness cases (starting with the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak in 1993), predicts that despite the new law “2011 may well look like many of the years before to me – more outbreaks, more suffering and more lawsuits.”
- Diggin' this post? Then please share:
-
-
-
-
Spinach-Gruyere Souffle
Nothing showcases the culinary power of eggs quite like a souffle. The yolks bind and enrich the base while the beaten whites leaven the souffle for its characteristic light, airy texture. This is a classic spring version, but you could add mushrooms, substitute different vegetables for the spinach, or swap the Gruyere cheese for a different variety. (Save the extra egg yolk to make Pasta with Asparagus and Prosciutto.) The souffle begins to deflate as soon as it comes out of the oven, so serve it immediately with a “Bon Appetit!” in your best Julia Child imitation. Pair it with a green salad dressed in Mustard-Shallot Vinaigrette and dry white wine for a light supper.
Prepare the base for the recipe ahead of time and refrigerate, if you like, but wait until just before baking to combine the base with the beaten egg whites.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon canola oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
- 1 (13-ounce) bunch fresh spinach, washed and tough stems removed
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup low-fat milk
- 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 large egg yolks
- 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Position rack on lowest level in oven.
Oil a 1.5-quart soufflé dish with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Dust sides and bottom with breadcrumbs and chill.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add spinach, with water clinging to it from washing, in batches. Sauté 2 minutes, or until wilted. Dry spinach thoroughly in a clean kitchen towel, squeezing out any excess moisture. Chop finely.
Heat milk in small saucepan over medium heat to 180 F (until tiny bubbles form around edge); do not boil.
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add flour and cook 2 minutes, or until flour loses its raw taste, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in warm milk. Whisk constantly over medium heat for 1 minute, or until very thick, then whisk in salt and nutmeg. Whisk in egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in spinach. Scrape yolk mixture into a large bowl.
Using electric beaters, beat egg whites until stiff, satiny peaks form; do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold one-fourth of whites into yolk mixture. Repeat with remaining whites, sprinkling in a handful of cheese at a time. Gently scrape mixture into prepared dish.
Place dish in oven and reduce heat to 375 degrees F. Bake 35 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned.
3.1
http://nourishnetwork.com/2011/01/05/whats-food-safety-really-about/ Copyright 2014 by Nourish Network
Loading...
Pingback: Nourishing Issues 2011: The Evolution of Local | Nourish Network()