Human nature would like us to believe the incident involving Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) was an honest mistake. It wasn’t. The salmonella outbreak involved deception, cover-ups, and lies, where numerous warning signs that something wrong existed. In the book, Without Warning, author Rodney Johnson describes such an event as a silent problem, a problem that is being avoided, neglected, and in this case, intentionally silenced.
As is common, when a silent problem is present, individuals closest to the problem know a problem exists. For example, leaky roofs and a multitude of unsanitary conditions were present at PCA. And several inside the company knew it had shipped product that initially tested positive for salmonella.
What’s the solution?
This might seem obvious, but we must realize government oversight will never be the only solution. The first line of defense must lie in creating programs that empower employees to do what’s right. This is detailed in the book Without Warning where it states that the first tactic must be to make the problem visible. This could be achieved by creating a 1-800 whistleblower hotline for employees at any FDA regulated food facility to contact. The second tactic would make the problem memorable. I’d recommend the FDA create a series of films, posters and a website informing employees what would be considered an unsafe food environment. The third tactic would provide the FDA direct access to all testing results from approved laboratories, which they do not have today.
Only when the government empowers its citizens to do what’s right, will stories similar to PCA be avoided.
