Bestfoodfacts.org: a bright new website, a bright idea

Just yesterday, we learned of a new website sponsored by the Center for Food Integrity. It’s called bestfoodfacts.org and with its bright colors, interactivity, and panel of experts working with the site, we think that consumers are going to enjoy this fresh approach to getting their questions about the U.S. food system answered. Anyone logging onto the site has the opportunity to ask a question of the expert panel comprised of researchers from leading universities. Once the question is answered, it will be posted to the site for everyone to see. The website uses a shifting scale called the “Food Integrity Index” which provides a quick overview of the question, the issue at hand, and its conclusions.
One of our favorite aspects of the site is that their sponsor, The Center for Food Integrity, supports consumer choice. This means you won’t find experts agreeing on every issue or telling you what types of food you should buy. They’ll simply tell you what they know, based on their research.

Is food safety an oxymoron?

Think about that title; is there such thing as perfectly safe food? Definitely not, and we shouldn’t lead consumers to believe that according to William Hueston, Ph.D., D.V.M., a faculty member at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, and director of the Global Initiative for Food Systems Leadership. "Food safety is a journey and not a destination," Hueston says. While food-borne illness outbreaks have lead overseas consumers to shift nearly the entire responsibility and concern of food safety to themselves (based on previous experiences that have discredited their food production industries), typical American consumers depend on the farmer, processor, and lastly themselves to receive a safe, clean, quality meal. During the Agricultural Media Summit held just recently in Fort Worth, Texas, we had the opportunity to listen to Hueston discuss his thoughts on our consumers’ perception of food safety. Hueston has worked with organizations like the FAO and USDA on issues like BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy), and H1N1 — what most consumers know as mad cow disease and swine flu.

“We’ve brain washed our consumers into thinking that zero-risk food is attainable,” Hueston said. He believes that this perception of zero-risk food could lead consumers to forget about their important role in the food safety puzzle and the idea of collective responsibility. Developing good messages without a definitive “yes it’s safe” or “no its not safe” answer during food safety crises is what he believes can change that. Hueston suggests that, in the event of a food safety concern like swine flu or BSE, we give a open, honest answer to consumers on what research says we know and what we do not know. And, in most cases, there is plenty that we do not know.

What do you think? Do we approach food safety concerns the wrong way by saying, “Our products are completely safe — you don't need to worry.”?