When GOOD Food Goes BAD

There's been a flurry of food contamination recently - raising the important question: how can consumers easily, and instantly, tell if the food they have is safe?

• Botulism in baby food
• E.coli in mushrooms
• E.coli in Taco Bell's lettuce
• E.coli in spinach
• Salmonella in peanut butter

The answer is partly improved manufacturing practices, and partly better traceability. By allowing the consumer to instantly tell whether their food is part of a recall - and to more quickly gather data from suspected products - food manufacturers can increase customer confidence, hasten recalls, and limit the scope of any recall.

We are entering an era analogous to the post-Tylenol scare; when tamper-evident packaging became de rigeur. Perhaps it is time for unit-level traceability to become expected - even demanded - by consumers?

The technology is available today to do it.