1989 News Events in Review

The food world was rocked by a series of unprecedented news events in 1989. Virtually the entire industry--from farm to market--underwent significant change as a result. And consumer attitudes toward the food supply also have been seriously altered during a year in which many commodities came under intense scrutiny.

Because 1989 was such a momentous year for food news, several of the major highlights are worth a review.

Alar, Chile and Public Opinion--Certainly, the most stunning month was March when public concern over chemical residues in produce hit record levels as stories of Alar in apples and poisoned Chilean grapes gripped the nation.

The furor began when the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) issued a report claiming that pesticide residues in produce pose a greater cancer risk to children than adults.

The coverage of the NRDC study focused on a growth regulator--Alar--used on apples. The apple industry, devastated by heightened consumer fears, estimates that its losses in 1989 will exceed $250 million. Since then, Uniroyal has announced it will no longer sell Alar in the United States and the Environmental Protection Agency also moved to ban the compound. The NRDC plans to continue its campaign to rid the food supply of about 60 cancer-causing chemicals.

Following on the heels of the Alar and apples controversy was the alleged poisoning of Chilean grapes with cyanide. Upon discovery of two tainted grapes, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered a ban on all fruit from Chile.

The losses to Chilean exporters and their U.S. representatives were about $100 million. Subsequently, several news reports have suggested that the FDA mishandled the laboratory tests of the imported fruit and that the results were inconclusive, at best. The agency stands behind its Chilean fruit ban.

Opinion polls that tracked the fallout from the Alar and Chilean grape incidents found a deeply disturbed public. In the weeks following the two controversies, 82% of those surveyed said that even minute amounts of farm chemicals pose a serious health hazard. The poll was conducted for the Food Marketing Institute, a Washington-based supermarket trade association. The finding was the highest ever recorded in the 16 years of consumer polling conducted by the group. Upon release of the results, FMI stated that “public confidence, once shaken, is slow to rebuild.”

Ironically, lost in the month’s furor surrounding pesticides was a National Research Council report that recommended daily consumption of at least five servings of produce in order to reduce the risk of cancer. The group, which is a part of the National Academy of Sciences, concluded that the benefits of such a diet in terms of a reduced risk of lung, stomach and colon cancer far outweighed any increased exposure an individual might receive from pesticide residues.

Seafood Under the Microscope--The past 12 months were also turbulent for the seafood industry. The year found no lessening in calls for a mandatory government inspection program for fish and shellfish. Critics have claimed that the majority of seafood is not scrutinized by federal or state officials. Some consumer groups also charged that, as a result, fish is more likely to be contaminated than other protein sources. Congressional support for an intensified inspection program grew in 1989 and the industry’s leading trade association, the National Fisheries Institute, also went on record as favoring a more effective government effort.

Aside from the inspection debate, federal health officials placed increased pressure on the seafood industry to improve its handling practices. The FDA informed industry representatives in a series of regional hearings in April that contamination rates for cooked shellfish were unacceptable. The agency also restated a public warning against eating raw or undercooked fish or shellfish.

The warnings came not only from the government but from the restaurant industry. In its recent issue, Pacific Fishing magazine quotes a top executive from Marriott Corp. as telling shellfish industry representatives that “if you don’t give us safety for our customers, we won’t serve your products.”

Seafood producers and processors made an effort to counter the negative publicity with a $6.5-million advertising campaign that urged consumers to “Eat Fish and Shellfish Twice a Week.” The ads began appearing in October and were narrated by a fish cartoon character. The effort is expected to continue well into 1990.

The Exxon Valdez oil spill in April did not dramatically disturb Alaska’s extensive fishing industry. However, the partial closure of Prince William Sound underscored the seafood industry’s continuing problems with declining water quality.

Any such pollution concerns, however, are being addressed by the tightly controlled methods used by aquaculture or fish farming. The success of this industry has been truly one of the bright spots for seafood. Shrimp farming has come of age throughout the world and production increased dramatically in 1989. Other farmed commodities, such as salmon, are also coming to market at record levels. Even speciality aquacultured items, such as abalone, crayfish and seaweed, have become more commonplace.

Unknown and exotic species are also more available as importers try to interest Americans in some of the more than 300 types of seafood marketed globally. But none of these is more interesting than the poisonous fugu , or puffer fish. Earlier this year, the FDA allowed Japanese exporters to sell fugu in this country. The species is considered a delicacy in Japan and can be safely consumed if the highly toxic internal organs and skin are properly removed.

Under the current agreement, the FDA requires that the Japanese government certify as safe any fugu sent to the United States. The fish, which is often served raw as sashimi , sells for as much as $150 an order.

Considering Ethics--In 1989, food producers were faced with increasingly militant animal rights groups. Throughout the year there were various charges that the industry uses unnecessary cruelty in order to raise/process veal, tuna, poultry and pork. Some of the opposition became violent in a few scattered incidents where meat-processing plants were vandalized.

The most vocal critics are those who oppose methods used to produce veal. Chief among these is the San Francisco-based Humane Farming Assn. The group says that the calves are kept in highly restricted pens, fed a liquid diet that causes anemia and are frequently sickly. Beef industry representatives said recent studies have indicated that the animals are properly cared for and that the meat is produced without “stress, pain or sickness.”

Poultry producers have also been singled out for inhumane practices. The American Protection Institute is attempting to formulate hatchery practices that are more protective of male baby chicks, whose economic value is minimal to the egg industry, a meat industry trade publication reported. More than 200 hatcheries in the country are being surveyed by the institute and asked to help develop “humane standards for the destruction of male chicks, debeaking and shipping chicks through the mail,” according to the Western States Meat Assn. While critical of the survey, the Pacific Egg and Poultry Assn. has announced that it is working to establish standards for its industry that would meet critics’ concerns.

Even pork producers have come under fire. The Animal Welfare Institute wants pork products labeled as to whether the animal was raised under restrictive conditions or on pasture land and thus free to move. The labeling would also state that no sub-therapeutic antibiotics or sulfa drugs were used on the pigs.

Furthest along of all the animal rights groups in terms of getting sympathetic legislation is the Dolphin Coalition. Earlier this year, Rep. Barbara Boxer (D-Greenbrae) introduced in the U.S. House a dolphin-protecting consumer-information bill that calls for labeling tuna as to whether it is “Dolphin Safe.” Frequently, schools of dolphins will become intertwined with tuna during their hunt for the same kinds of food. Oft times, the dolphins will become fatally entangled in purse seines used by fishing boats.

It is estimated that, in 1989, as many as 14,000 dolphins were killed in the rich fishing area known as the eastern tropical Pacific, a body of water that stretches from Southern California to Ecuador.

The American Tunaboat Owners Assn. says that its members are increasingly careful in netting practices and avoid unnecessary dolphin kills. Further, the fisherman say that the dolphin population has not been hurt despite the mammals’ death rate. The Boxer legislation is likely to be voted upon early in 1990.

The Chemical Alternative--Organic farming had its season in the sun as consumers rushed to limit chemical residues in their produce. The interest in chemical-free produce was greatly influenced by the NRDC’s Alar and apples report. What had once been a cottage industry has suddenly blossomed into a real growth business. The National Research Council in its authoritative report, “Alternative Agriculture,” estimates that sales of organic produce will increase from about $166 million in 1986 to more than $389 million in 1992.

The expected sales boom will occur despite prices that are as much as 25% higher than conventionally grown produce, according to one recent survey. Certainly fueling the success of organics is the willingness of major supermarket chains to carry the items when available. A section of organically grown fruit and vegetables is now a staple in many of the major food chains even though it was a virtually unknown entity just a few years ago.

Even before the NRDC made its findings known, entrepreneurs were cashing in on heightened public concerns about farm chemicals on produce. Several firms introduced produce washes that the manufacturers claimed would remove surface wax and chemical residues.

Supermarkets also were responsible for raising consumer awareness of pesticides. Major chains such as Ralphs Grocery Co. introduced residue-testing programs to ensure that fruit and vegetables were free of chemicals. Ralphs, throughout 1989, advertised produce as “certified organically grown” or as having “no detectable residues.” The actual laboratory analysis of the produce was conducted by NutriClean, a Northern California-based firm. Although Ralphs’ executives have said that the program has been highly successful, state health officials are more critical of the effort. One California agriculture representative said that “(private) programs are not increasing the health of consumers. And they are not finding (pesticide residues) that we don’t find.”

Contaminants--There were also renewed concerns about microbiological contaminants in foods during 1989. For instance, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Ga., discovered Listeria monocytogenes, a harmful bacteria, in cooked turkey frankfurters. The pathogen was responsible for a severe case of food poisoning. The incident was the first to link fully processed commercial meats with the dangerous Listeria pathogen. Health officials later blamed poor manufacturing practices and warned meat processors to improve their plants’ sanitary procedures.

Other foods were also implicated as the source of contamination. For instance, a large shipment of canned mushrooms from the People’s Republic of China contained staphylococcal poison. Raw eggs continued to be plagued with Salmonella enteritis. And partially cooked meats such as sausage patties were found to contain E. coli, a particularly virulent strain of food-borne bacteria.

Odds and Ends--Oat bran became ubiquitous . . .

The debut of the low-cholesterol egg in California was squashed when state officials found that the producer’s claim of cholesterol reductions were exaggerated. Then, several months later, the USDA announced that all eggs produced in this country are lower in cholesterol than previously believed . . .

The CDC found that people living in the Midwestern United States were more likely to be overweight than those residing in other regions . . .

California officials reported that cattle rustling was a more severe problem in 1989 than at the turn of the 20th Century. Drug addicts were blamed for the thefts. . . .

The health food industry reported record sales during the past year and then was stunned when L-tryptophan, a popular dietary supplement, was linked to a rare blood disease and recalled by manufacturers. . .

State legislators proposed strict reductions in the fat and cholesterol content of school lunches . . .

The FDA held several hearings on food label health claims in an attempt to formulate regulations that would limit the use of such statements on packaging . . .

The American Medical Assn. reported on separate occasions that decaffeinated coffee increases the bad or low-density lipoprotein levels of cholesterol. The group later found that drip coffee was more healthful than percolated. In yet another development, the American College of Cardiology reported that heavy coffee drinkers--those who consume more than four cups a day--are 30% more likely to suffer heart attacks. Not surprisingly, the world market for coffee plummeted in 1989 . . .

Not to miss an opportunity, Pepsico introduced in test markets a new drink called “Pepsi A.M.,” an extra-caffeine version of its main brand, that is marketed as a “breakfast beverage,” according to New Product News . . .

And in the ultimate irony, the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter ridiculed reports of health research that purports to prove some type of risk or benefit. “A single study cannot prove anything,” the journal stated. In an accompanying article the Wellness Letter reported that researchers found that reducing body fat may help boost the levels of high-density lipoproteins, or the cholesterol considered beneficial.