Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
(Washington, D.C.) – The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is reminding all interested parties about its upcoming conference, Employee Rights and the Food Safety Modernization Act, which will analyze the far-reaching implications of new whistleblower protections for food industry workers, and the law’s overall impact on food safety. Launched by GAP’s Food Integrity Campaign (FIC) and co-hosted with the American University Washington College of Law (WCL), this all-day seminar will be held in Washington, D.C. this Friday, February 11 at WCL (4801 Massachusetts Ave. NW).
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law by President Obama in early January, establishes the first-ever private sector whistleblower protections enacted specifically for the food industry. By providing food industry whistleblowers with the necessary rights to safely speak out about violations involved with food processing, distribution, labeling, importation, and many more aspects of the food chain, these protections will help make America’s food safer for consumers — stopping outbreaks before they start.
“This is a sea change for the food industry,” stated GAP Food Integrity Campaign director Amanda Hitt. “The new law provides monumental reforms, and we’re going to spotlight how the whistleblower provision is a huge step for private sector employees and its ability to protect consumers. Giving industry workers a safe channel to report bad practices is paramount to safeguarding public health.”
The conference features high-profile food industry whistleblowers and prominent critics of food industry practices. Participants include:
It should be noted that the new protections cover all private food industry workers who report any food violations enforced by the FDA. However, the protections generally do not extend to employees who report violations of USDA regulations, which cover the meat and poultry industries.
“These FDA protections serve as a model whistleblower provision for other areas where workers still lack safeguards for speaking up,” said Hitt. “Private sector workers defending USDA food safety laws as well as federal employees can still be fired for doing the right thing.”
GAP’s Tom Devine will be leading a conference workshop, Whistleblower Law 101, to address actions that workers can take in the face of retaliation for attempting to report food violations enforced by the FDA.
All panelists will be available to speak with the media during and in the days prior to the event. All attending guests must register at WCL’s website, but journalists can register by emailing GAP Communications Director Dylan Blaylock at dylanb@whistleblower.org.
FIC’s mission is to enhance overall food integrity by facilitating truth-telling. FIC accomplishes this mission by strategically working to alter the relationship of power between the food industry and consumers; protecting the rights of those who speak out against the practices that compromise food integrity; and empowering industry whistleblowers and citizen activists. More than just food safety, food integrity implies a global perspective of food that is produced in ways consistent with community values, principles, and beliefs – from soil to plate.
Contact: Amanda Hitt, Food Integrity Campaign Director
Phone: 202.457.0034, ext. 159
Email: amandah@whistleblower.org
Government Accountability Project
The Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, GAP’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, GAP is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.
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