The monumental task of quickly determining who or what exactly is at fault in such a scenario could be mitigated by the implementation of full digitization of the supply chain from "farm to fork."

As consumers, we would better know from where our food originates, and producers not at fault would not have to bear the costs of a recall.

Improved efficiency, enhanced transparency; everyone benefits from such a system.

Unless they've got something to hide...

In other words, that fact is completely and utterly meaningless.

Many more people died from while driving, so why not put money toward something that is far, far more dangerous. People under prepare food all the time, and if you can't cook your food as required for safe consumption, then you sure can't blame the industry for the consumers' stupidity.

If a food producer gives 10,000 people a stomach ache, going so far as to kill a few people, then shouldn't someone go to jail for doing their job so poorly?

Nitpick away.

That's why I get particularly bothered by E. coli appearances in vegetables, since they're not going to be cooked to a temp that will kill the bacteria.

Nonetheless, I would appreciate it if companies would maintain a basic and appropriate level of sanitation for any facility that processes food. If anything, money should be spent on additional enforcement rather than added regulation.

Friends? Acquaintances? Even in the same town?

Nothing is perfect, but as far as I can tell they are doing a darn good job of bringing safe food to market despite the recent hysteria.

There's a big difference between 100% perfect manufacturing processes - which I doubt anyone expects - and food manufacturing facilities that can continue operating for years with failed quality tests and rodent carcasses and feces on site.

@Taliskan:

Apart from buying only whole vegetables, fruits, and dead animals directly from producers, how do you recommend going about that? Unless you have complete access from the fields to the store shelves and all spaces in between, processed food is of unknown quality and largely unknown quantity. If that's my responsibility, then I'm failing miserably at it.

As it stands now, the largest and most widely publicized food safety failure (the salmonella-tainted peanut butter recall) affected only 0.0002% of people in this country. That's hardly a cause for concern, nor is it a cause for all of the attention that the whole situation received.

I don't get caught up in all the recall hype. There is always bound to be a batch of bad food somewhere in the supply line, just like any other good. As long as they can tell me what batch is recalled, I will ensure that I am not eating it. Won't make me change brands or what have you.

I have confidence in our food supply, though it takes some common sense and a little work to know what you are eating. Should it be up to manufacturers to provide such information? Sure. But it should be our responsibility to know what the hell we are buying.

1. There isn't enough incentive (punishment) for food manufacturers to much better ensure safety, and

2. It's somehow considered acceptable for hundreds or thousands of consumers, through no fault of their own, to get sick or die from tainted food each year.