We all eat rat hair and insects on a daily basis. And, the Federal Food & Drug Administration has no problem with those menu delights at all.
That was the word from Richard Gutting, featured speaker during Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce's Business Lunch Tuesday at Mike's Italian Restaurant on Richmond Highway. Gutting is a past president of the Fisheries Institute; Assistant General Counsel for Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation.
A member of the law firm Redmon, Peyton & Braswell LLP, Gutting advises corporate clients on international trade, customs, immigration, food safety and inspection, and environmental law.
His topic for the Chamber luncheon was "Seafood and Food Safety"—the latter he characterized as always a balance between risk and benefit.
"Risk is always a complicated matter. We are always more comfortable with risks when we are choosing the risk. A prime example is being on an airplane that may crash, over which we have no control, and traveling in a car we are operating," he said in kicking off his presentation.
"I'm very lucky in what I do. I get to deal with shrimp, oysters and all kinds of seafood. And, even though food helps define who we are and our celebration of life, we actually know very little about food safety," Gutting said.
"Thirty to 80 million people get sick each year from the food they eat. Everyone in this room has experienced so-called food poisoning. Diarrhea is a common indicator of a level of food poisoning," he said.
When it came to the rat hair and insects, Gutting pointed out that when these items become part of other animals and farm products they are eventually passed on in the finished product. "Organic farming uses manure rather than chemicals," Gutting explained. "If you buy organic that's what you are getting to some degree. The other choice is more chemicals," he said.
"Things are going to get even more complicated as the federal government increases their requirements for posting signs in the markets explaining what you are buying. But, it won't make it any safer," he said.
When it came to some of the present controversies over the difference between domestic and imported products, Gutting noted, "As far as the FDA is concerned there is virtually no difference between imported and domestic products."
He said, "Claims about harm caused by imported food is going to increase. But, that is also going to happen with domestic products. It's virtually impossible to make valid statements about which food products are better — foreign or domestic."
Gutting noted that most of media stories about food safety concerns are focused on unbelievable low levels of imperfection — one part per billion. "We are constantly surrounded by one part per billion of harmful things. That applies to sitting in this room right now. And, it gets worse when you go outside," Gutting said
"The real question is, can the harmful elements be avoided. That's where the Chinese made their mistake. The harmful elements were avoidable and they did not take the necessary steps to bring that about," he said.
"At the end of the day it all comes down to trust. The American people are saying with all this labeling that they have lost a measure of that trust with the federal government," he said.
"The only thing I ask is that you keep on eating," Gutting said in concluding his presentation. That was followed by a series of audience questions on certain seafood and other elements of the food chain.
Prior to Gutting's discussion the Chamber officially installed Daniel F. Rinzel and Jeff Todd as Board members to replace two others who have recently resigned due to leaving the area. The next two Chamber programs will be a breakfast meeting on Sept. 11 entitled "In Pursuit of Business" and a dinner program on Sept. 20 featuring Virginia's Attorney General Robert McDonnell.