Food Companies Shift Safety Burden to Consumers

The New York Times reports in a front-page story, "Increasingly, the corporations that supply Americans with processed foods are unable to guarantee the safety of their ingredients." In one case, ConAgra "could not pinpoint which of the more than 25 ingredients in its pies was carrying salmonella. Other companies do not even know who is supplying their ingredients, let alone if those suppliers are screening the items for microbes and other potential dangers, interviews and documents show." In addition to ConAgra, "other food giants like Nestlé and the Blackstone Group, a New York firm that acquired the Swanson and Hungry-Man brands two years ago, concede that they cannot ensure the safety of items -- from frozen vegetables to pizzas -- and that they are shifting the burden to the consumer."