食品伙伴網(wǎng)消息：之前我們曾導(dǎo)讀過美國從事食源性疾病訴訟律師Colin Caywood的博客，收到的反響還不錯。這次我們又將導(dǎo)讀Colin Caywood老板Bill Marler的一篇博文。
作者介紹：比爾馬勒 Bill Marler （Marler Clark LLP）
華盛頓 西雅圖—http://www.marlerblog.com—@billmarler—bmarler@marlerclark.com
他是一名資深的人身傷害律師，也是一名美國食源性疾病訴訟專家。他于1993年起開始代表食源性疾病的受害者進(jìn)行訴訟，當(dāng)時他代表的是Brianne Kiner（Jack in the Box 大腸桿菌 O157:H7爆發(fā)事件中的最嚴(yán)重的受害者） ，此項訴訟以具有里程碑意義的受害者獲賠1560萬美元的結(jié)果而告終。從那時起，比爾和他在馬勒克拉克律師事務(wù)所的合作伙伴們代表了成千上萬的個人向生產(chǎn)了被污染的產(chǎn)品并造成嚴(yán)重傷害甚至死亡的食品企業(yè)提起訴訟及索賠。他對更好的進(jìn)行食品監(jiān)管的主張受邀在與食品安全相關(guān)的當(dāng)?shù)?、國家及國際會議上進(jìn)行宣講。1998年，比爾和他的律師伙伴成立了非盈利的公司，通過該公司，他用了很多年進(jìn)行與是源性疾病相關(guān)的演講。比爾的個人博客，Marler Blog，每年有100多萬來自世界各地的讀者。
正文導(dǎo)讀：
那天早晨，我在一家有線電視頻道錄制關(guān)于雞蛋沙門氏菌爆發(fā)的相關(guān)節(jié)目時，一名年輕的制片人問我：馬勒律師，如果你有魔法棒，你會怎么做來使食品更加安全？
我的第一反應(yīng)（對自己說）是：這個我怎么知道？我只是不斷忙于善后著那些無關(guān)緊要的事情，試圖摧毀那些僅僅毒害了一些消費(fèi)者的可憐無助的食品制造公司，我造成了低價零售連鎖店的數(shù)億美元的召回成本，也損害了整個行業(yè)的形象和銷售情況。
但后來我繼續(xù)深入的想了一下，我想到我花了18年的時間在拆除那些無助的公司以確保他們?yōu)槲业哪切┦I(yè)、傷殘的甚至失去生命的的客戶提供醫(yī)療費(fèi)用。而我的客戶只做了一件大家都在做的事情--每天吃三頓飯，他們吃的食物造成了他們今天所承受的傷害。我想到在加護(hù)病房親眼目睹過醫(yī)生冷冰冰地向向一位已經(jīng)腦死亡孩子的父母解釋需要腎透析或者就此結(jié)束生命時，這對父母眼中的恐慌。我想到我的因食品安全問題導(dǎo)致腦外傷的客戶為康復(fù)做著英勇的斗爭，努力學(xué)會刷牙梳頭，或者希望再一次的學(xué)會走路。我認(rèn)為，這些家庭之所以恐懼，是因?yàn)樗麄儾恢绾螒?yīng)付未來，以及沒有錢來為這不幸的現(xiàn)實(shí)買單。
我想說：給我那個該死的魔法棒！
首先，我會增加毒害消費(fèi)者的奸商的刑事制裁。
第二，我將在財政上激勵食品制造商和零售商生產(chǎn)和銷售更安全的食品。
第三，我會鼓勵食品安全的透明度。
第四，我將確保我們的食品法規(guī)足夠靈活，適用于所有的相關(guān)企業(yè)--大的小的、國內(nèi)的國外的。
第五，賦予地方、州和聯(lián)邦的檢察員們足夠的人力物力，以確保食品監(jiān)管法規(guī)被公平公正自始至終的貫徹執(zhí)行。
第六，我將把公共衛(wèi)生提升到其應(yīng)有的高度。
。。。哎呀，我舉著魔法棒的胳膊都累了，我知道我漏掉了一些東西，也過分強(qiáng)調(diào)了一些別人不會在乎的東西，但我現(xiàn)在感到很累，而且還有一些事情等著我去善后處理。
原文報道：
Publisher's Platform: Magic Wand
BY BILL MARLER | AUG 30, 2010What if I had a food safety magic wand?
The other morning when I was prepping in another studio to talk with another cable channel about yet another food crisis--this time the recall of a half of a billion Salmonella-tainted eggs that had already sickened at least 1,400--I was asked by a young producer, "Attorney Marler, if you had a magic wand, what would you do to make food safer?"
My first thought (to myself) was, "How the hell do I know, I'm just an ambulance chasing barracuda looking to destroy some poor helpless food manufacturing corporation that just poisoned a bunch of people, cost retail chains hundreds of millions of dollars in recall costs, and damaged its entire sector's image and sales?"
But then I thought some more. I thought about my nearly eighteen years spent dismantling those helpless corporations to secure medical expenses and lost wages for clients whose lives were destroyed, or ended, because they did something we all do about three times a day: they ate food. I thought about the ICU's I had been in and witnessed the panic in a parent's eye as a doctor coldly explained the need for kidney dialysis, or the reasons to stop life support because their child's brain had stopped functioning. I thought about the heroic struggles in rehab as a brain-injured client learned to brush her hair and teeth, or learn to walk again as the family looked hopefully on. I thought about the fear that these families have as they wonder how they will cope with a disabled future without the resources to pay for it.
And, then I thought, "Give me the damn wand!"
First, I would increase criminal sanctions for poisoning your customers. If a CEO of a food manufacturer takes unreasonable risks with the public's health, and people get severely sick or die, that CEO should spend time in jail. For goodness sake, we make kids do hard time for smoking dope, yet we do nothing to a CEO who sickens several hundred and kills nine by knowingly shipping Salmonella-tainted peanut butter (Yes, Mr. Parnell, I am thinking of you).
Second, I would financially-incentivize food manufacturers and retailers to produce and buy safer food. I would give them tax breaks for food safety interventions that have been proven to make our food both safer and healthier.
Third, I would encourage transparency in food safety; consumers need to know who produces and sells the safest and healthiest food, not just who produces and sells the cheapest food. Quality needs to replace quantity in the American diet.
Fourth, I would assure that our food regulations were even and flexible for all players--small and large, foreign and domestic. Safety would be paramount, but innovation--especially, those focused on energy consumption, environmental concerns and sustainability--must be encouraged.
Fifth, give local, state and federal inspectors the resources to enforce the regulations fairly and as frequently as necessary to assure compliance. Make all inspections - especially product tests - transparent. Manufacturers and retailers need to work in virtual glass houses. Food production and food safety needs to be seen by all.
Sixth, I would elevate public health to the height it deserves. We need to encourage cooperation between all levels of public health in charge of educating the public on safe food handling. We also need to encourage coordination to those charged with surveillance of foodborne and bioterrorism events. We need to stop outbreaks earlier and prevent the spread of disease.
Damn, my wand arm is tired. I know I missed some things and likely emphasized ideas that others would not, but I am tired now and still have an ambulance to chase.
原文地址：http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/08/publishers-platform-magic-wand/
