Is Your Food Safe? You Can Ask the Govt. Just Don’t Eat There.
When the irony of a situation is just too much to bear, you can count on The Scribble Lounge to shine a light and dig a little deeper.
It was reported last week that two cafeterias and five snack bars in the Pennsylvania State Capitol complex would be closed until sometime in January because of…wait for it…a rat infestation. OK, so they actually said they were mice. Tomayto, tomahto.
I Smell a Rat in the PA State Capitol! It's in the food!
The State Department of Agriculture found the violations during a routine inspection. Justin Fleming, the department spokesperson, said, “There were mouse droppings around the facility too numerous to mention.” Ick.
OK—so we all get the irony, if you take the appropriate view of politicians.
But the bigger issue here is food safety. And if you’ve been in a government building (aside from the sanitation department), isn’t one of the first words that comes to mind: sterile? It doesn’t matter whether the décor is reminiscent of the 1960s or if newer digs feel like a businessman’s hotel conference room. It usually feels pretty clean because the janitor has been there for years, happy to have a steady, stable job to get to that government pension. Often, cafes in courthouses or municipal buildings have all the creativity of a ham sandwich on white with mayo. And it rarely differs between local, state, or federal branches. My point—they’re pretty sterile too. So we thought.
Believe it or not, food safety is on the docket for the federal government. I’d say it’s like molasses in January. But that’s even too fast for our government most of the time. The House of Representatives passed a law in July, giving the Food & Drug Administration authority to issue a food recall. But, as is typical, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee (HELP) passed its own “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009,” S.510 in November. Next stop: floor debate in the Senate. When they get to it in 2010. But the issue considers very important measures on imports, inspection, recalls, and increasing FDA’s resources.
An important distinction is that food we make at home isn’t the issue. It’s when we pay other people to play with our food that we have to step back.
Getting the Grade in Los Angeles
For all of California’s problems these days, one thing that’s right has been right since 1998. That’s more than a decade ago if you’re keeping score. In Los Angeles County, retail food facilities receive a letter grade according to their inspection score. That grade is prominently displayed for all to see. An “A,” you’re good. A “C,” you eat at your own risk. “B’s” don’t fare well either.
In 2004, Stanford University Economist Phillip Leslie looked to measure the effect those grades would have on consumers and the market in general. By obtaining inspection data and revenue data (compiled from sales tax returns), he found that inspection grades greatly increased. Leslie reported that before the law went into effect, 25% of restaurants would have earned an “A;” after more than 50%. And most importantly, he found that food-related hospitalizations in Los Angeles County decreased 20%.
In January 2009, New York City announced a letter-grading plan, due to appear in restaurant windows in July 2010. The city will hire 50 more inspectors—there’s a job opportunity! Washington DC is interested in a similar policy as well. However their motivation was a Center for Science in the Public Interest report saying it was too hard for DC consumers to get restaurant inspection reports.
Let’s be honest—we don’t really want to know that our favorite pizza joint had a mouse last month. But even the best restaurants sometimes rest on their laurels a little too much. You want great food but you want a clean kitchen too. I have a foodie friend who wouldn’t even see the animated feature “Ratatouille” because it was all about rats in restaurant kitchens.
Grades motivated many of us as 6th graders. (Even if you weren’t a ridiculous over-achiever like me.) No one wants to fail. And goodness, our politicians are among the most competitive ilk there is. More cities and states need grading systems. And restaurants will stay on their toes. Consumers will be safer.
According to the National Restaurant Association, the average household spends $2,276 on food out of the home. Of course in cities like New York where ovens double as shoe storage, it’s likely higher.
Back to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. OK, after a 101-day budget impasse, a few things fell by the wayside. The National Governors Association says that state budgets are unlikely to recover until “late in the next decade.” That’s a long time to bring your lunch. There’s always Sammy’s Italian across the street where the Pasta Fagioli is $5 or Mangia Qui where filet mignon on a roll with fries is $10. Skip the café and leave it to the rats, er, politicians, to figure it out.
