Safe Tables Our Priority

Safe Tables Our Priority (S.T.O.P.) is nonprofit public health organization dedicated to the prevention of illness and death from foodborne pathogens

Contents 1 History 2 Achievements 3 Staff 4 Board of Directors 5 References 6 External links

History

• S.T.O.P. was born out of the collective grief and anger of parents of E. coli O157:H7 victims. The January 1993 outbreak of E. coli associated with Jack in the Box hamburgers turned out to be a pivotal moment in contemporary food safety history. Because of the sheer magnitude of the outbreak, the threat of E. coli contamination for the first time garnered nationwide media attention. The publication of the names of those who died enabled victims of previous incidents and outbreaks of E. coli from around the country to find one another. Prior to this outbreak, most consumers had been unaware that these microbes even existed or that they could be in the foods they purchased.

• Because no other non-government organization was addressing this challenge, S.T.O.P. quickly gained a membership base and national visibility. S.T.O.P.’s early message to American consumers was that certain foods had the potential to present a serious risk to their health and to the lives of their family members, which they knew from horrific personal experience. They communicated that meat, seafood and poultry - and increasingly, produce and fruit juice - could carry pathogens that present serious risks to human health.

• The more S.T.O.P. leaders researched how food became contaminated, the more they understood the complexity of the challenge of preventing foodborne illness. They learned that a myriad of government agencies oversee food safety, reporting of foodborne illnesses varies considerably by state, and there is a lack of effective communication on both a federal level and between states when an outbreak occurs. They learned that branches of the United States government already knew about emerging foodborne pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7. However, the government did not have a comprehensive plan to combat these new pathogens, nor had they adequately informed the public about them. For years, scientists and consumer advocates had been quietly warning the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Congress, and the media that the failure to inspect meat and poultry for bacteria would lead to a food safety disaster. But routinely, the response had been "if it's as bad as you say, why aren't there any victims?" As it turned out, there were thousands of victims—they joined S.T.O.P. and their outrage fueled the growth of the organization.

• Early on, S.T.O.P. spent time educating the USDA and the meat industry about the devastation and significant illness that is caused by E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. S.T.O.P. wanted warning messages delivered to consumers. There was significant resistance at every turn. But, with persistence and national media coverage, S.T.O.P.'s message continued to spread. After numerous, substantive contacts with USDA and industry officials, S.T.O.P. was finally invited to sit at the policy making table, and eventually became a key player in facilitating the first meat and poultry inspection reforms in over 90 years.

• S.T.O.P. has had many successes over the years with public health work focused on advocacy, victim support, outreach, and safe food education. S.T.O.P. has worked extensively with national and local media, receptive food industry trade groups and companies, government representatives in both houses of Congress, as well as officials at the USDA, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). S.T.O.P. has worked with Safe Food Coalition partners to hold congressional forums, including legislative, victim, and professional panels that represent diverse groups such as physicians and meat inspectors.

• S.T.O.P. pushes for government agencies to reform their policies in order to better address food safety. An early success happened when S.T.O.P. leaders educated the USDA on the importance of having medical professionals on staff at the agency. Previously, they had only employed veterinarians who understood animal disease, but not foodborne disease in humans. As a result, medical personnel were hired to work at the USDA in 1994. S.T.O.P. leaders were also concerned that within the USDA, both marketing and inspection were done within the same agency - a clear conflict of interest. S.T.O.P. spoke up and had a hand in the decision to divide the department into two sub-agencies dealing separately with marketing and inspection.

• While S.T.O.P. advocates for safe food preparation practices, the organization is focused on affecting change in food handling and processing, at the beginning of the food chain. For over 15 years, S.T.O.P. has advocated tirelessly on behalf of consumers and the health of the American public. With the goal of saving lives and preventing unnecessary illness and suffering, S.T.O.P. provides a unique and national service to victims and families needing both immediate and long-term help. While S.T.O.P. has had significant accomplishments, and food safety regulations and agencies have improved as a result of this work, much more needs to be done to keep Americans safe from contaminated food.

Achievements

2008

• S.T.O.P. holds a commemorative “15 Years Since Jack in the Box Outbreak” Teleseminar call and introduces our landmark long-term consequences of foodborne disease project
• S.T.O.P. begins collaborative work with the Produce Safety Project (PSP) that will survey state health departments on their foodborne illness tracking techniques and will culminate in a joint report to be issued in 2009
• S.T.O.P. speaks in Geneva, Switzerland, at the invitation of the World Health Organization at a conference on the global burden of foodborne disease

2007

• S.T.O.P. launches Firstgiving Program allowing members to tell their food safety stories and how they became involved with S.T.O.P. to friends and relatives nationwide via the internet
• S.T.O.P. moves our national headquarters to suburban Chicago
• S.T.O.P. testifies before Congress on carbon monoxide (CO) issue in meat and calls for a re-examination of the process as GRAS (generally recognized as safe) by FDA

2006

• S.T.O.P. participates in USDA’s Food Safety Education Conference in Denver and speaks on the economic and Emotional Burden of Foodborne Illness
• S.T.O.P. launches our Teleseminar Series- uniting members nationwide via 800 call-in service to expert talks on relevant food safety topics
• S.T.O.P. calls for a ban on the use of carbon monoxide (CO) in case-ready meats packaged in a modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and testifies against its use at a hearing in Chicago

2005

• S.T.O.P. begins Community Tours program, holding events in the homes and offices of S.T.O.P. members across the country to educate on food safety and promote S.T.O.P.’s mission
• S.T.O.P. speaks out about antibiotic-resistant Salmonella bacteria (DT104) in America’s beef supply
• S.T.O.P. works closely with Congress in introducing the Safe Food Act of 2005, calling for a single food safety agency

2004

• S.T.O.P. assists in organizing and has several victim speakers participate in the “Families and Patients Forum on Foodborne Disease” sponsored by the U.S. House of Representative’s Food Safety Caucus
• S.T.O.P. works with CDC’s Food Safe School Coalition to produce a video and school food safety kit to be distributed nationwide

2003

• S.T.O.P. releases groundbreaking report, “Why Are People Still Dying From Contaminated Food?”
• S.T.O.P. actions help to spur formation of a first-ever Congressional Safety Caucus

2001-2002

• S.T.O.P. wins mandatory pasteurization for all bulk juices
• S.T.O.P. prevents reversal of the zero tolerance policy for Salmonella in school lunch meat
• S.T.O.P. exposes ongoing distribution of recalled meat in the school lunch program
• S.T.O.P. organizes a Rally for Safer Food in Washington D.C.
• S.T.O.P. testifies before joint Congressional committee regarding contamination in school lunches

1999-2000

• S.T.O.P. wins introduction of microbial testing and zero tolerance for pathogens in school lunch meat
• S.T.O.P. spurs critical improvements to the recall process for contaminated meat
• S.T.O.P. hosts groundbreaking medical conference on long-term health costs of E. coli O157:H7
• S.T.O.P. co-produces a brochure with Centers for Disease Control to inform parents of small children
• S.T.O.P. President Nancy Donley is named “Community Champion” by Civil Justice Foundation and receives Consumer Federation of America’s Golden Carrot award

1997-1998

• S.T.O.P. holds five-year memorial service for Jack in the Box victims
• S.T.O.P. wins mandatory consumer health warning labels for unpasteurized juices
• S.T.O.P. convinces USDA to release accurate cooking information to consumers
• S.T.O.P. investigates and exposes problems with the history-making Hudson Foods recall
• S.T.O.P. members win passage of Lauren Rudolph Food Safety Act in California
• S.T.O.P. organizes a meeting of victim advocates with decision-makers at Centers for Disease Control
• S.T.O.P. is named Meat and Poultry magazine as one of the “Top 10 Influential Powerhouses in the Meat and Poultry Industry”

1995-1996

• S.T.O.P. sponsors Congressional briefing in Washington D.C., which features victims’ testimony and noted consumer advocates
• S.T.O.P. presents 100,000 signed postcards to Congress in support of safer meat
• S.T.O.P. participates by invitation in a White House press conference opposing deregulation of the food industry
• S.T.O.P. wins the first national meat and poultry inspection reforms in 90 years

1993-1994

• Foodborne illness victims and friends found S.T.O.P. to address void in national food policy arena
• S.T.O.P. holds Congressional Symposium on Meat Inspection in Washington D.C.
• S.T.O.P. wins safe handling/warning labels on all meat and poultry products
• S.T.O.P. opens national clearinghouse providing information and help for victims and consumers, and establishes a toll-free hotline for foodborne illness victims

Staff

Deidre Schlunegger, Chief Executive Officer

Margaret Quinn, Director of Programs

Susan Vaughn Grooters, Director of Research and Education

Gail Stephens, Programs and Development Associate

Maria Krysciak, Operations Manager

Board of Directors

Nancy Donley, Board President and Spokesperson

Michael Scarpone, Board Chair

Laura Day Lucy, Board Secretary

Eric Juzenas, Board Treasurer

Greg Howard

Pamela Berger

Trabue Bland

Larry Bernstein

Kathleen Chrismer

References

All information from www.safetables.org

External links

• Safe Tables Our Priority
• S.T.O.P. Facebook page
• S.T.O.P. Twitter
• S.T.O.P. Blog