Kellogg CEO joins call for food safety reform

Following his company's loss of $70 million in recalled peanut products, the CEO of Kellogg called for improvements to the nation's food safety system. By doing so, David Mackay is joining a chorus of consumer advocates and lawmakers—including President Obama.

Mackay asked that food safety be placed under a new leader in the Health and Human Services Department. He also called for new requirements that all food companies have written safety plans, annual federal inspections of facilities that make high-risk foods, and other reforms, according to the Associated Press.

Mackay was one of three speakers who appeared before a House subcommittee today to further explore the ongoing salmonella outbreak that has sickened almost 700 people in 46 states and contributed to the deaths of nine. Kellogg as well as the other companies represented, King Nut and Vitamin Cottage, all bought peanut products processed by the Peanut Corporation of America, the source of the salmonella outbreak.

The House Energy and Commerce investigations subcommittee released new documents and pictures today (see image from CDC) that attested to long-standing sanitary problems at facilities owned by PCA. Lawmakers said that the food industry's self-policing system failed to catch filthy conditions at the peanut processing plant. "There is an obvious and inherent conflict of interest when an auditor works for the same supplier it is evaluating," said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., according to the Associated Press.

As the hearing progressed, the Food and Drug Administration continued to send out notices of peanut products that have been recalled. The recall list has grown to almost 3,500. Kellogg was one of the first companies to recall its products—including Austin and Keebler peanut butter sandwich crackers—on January 16. Mackay said that his company had to recall more than seven million cases of crackers and cookies.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of new salmonella cases has declined substantially since the peak in December, but illnesses are still being reported among people who ate the recalled products. The outbreak is expected to continue at a low level for the next several months since consumers unaware that they have recalled products in their homes continue to consume them.

Consumers Union supports a number of bills introduced in Congress to upgrade the nation's food safety system.