Anatomy of a Food borne Outbreak: Whoʼs Protecting My Peanut Butter?

Here, Spitzer examines the anatomy of the foodborne outbreak in the US. In 2009 contaminated peanuts from the Peanut Corporation of America ignited one of the largest food recalls in US history and changed the role of the FDA. This was one of a series of foodborne outbreaks and recalls that caused the government to address food safety policies that had not been changed in over seventy years. There are four major steps in a foodborne outbreak. The federal government plays a key role in this process. The roadmap is as follows: detection of an outbreak, CDC; investigation and identification of the source, FDA; legislative response which may include new laws, Congress; and potential prosecution, Department of Justice.