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Devra Gartenstein is the owner of Seattle’s Patty Pan Grill and the author of two cookbooks, Local Bounty: Vegan Seasonal Produce and The Accidental Vegan.  She also blogs at The Quirky Gourmet.

Bill Marler, the most prominent food safety attorney in the country, has published a list of what he predicts will be the biggest food safety issues during the upcoming year. He lists, among other things, the dangers we face from globalization, e coli, as well as cross-contamination between the human and animal food chains. But the most surprising item on the list is a food source that many of us associate with safety and integrity: local food. He writes:

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups and food coops need to demonstrate knowledge and practice of food safety, and be inspected. In addition to produce and meats/fish, prepared foods are currently unsupervised.

It’s certainly true that food purveyors at every level should be scrupulously clean and conscientious about how they handle their food. But it’s patently untrue that farmers’ market prepared foods are unsupervised, at least here in Seattle, where both Mr. Marler and I live. Prepared food vendors are permitted and inspected by the health department. When health inspectors aren’t personally on site, the market managers act as their proxies, checking temperatures and hand washing stations. We’re also required to take classes in proper food handling procedures.

I’ve read quotes from experts saying that, even though locally produced food can be just as contaminated as industrial food, outbreaks don’t occur on as wide a scale, and they’re easier to trace. Small-scale food production certainly isn’t a panacea for food-borne illness: people die from botulism present in home-canned foods. But local food and small-scale food production can offer a potential solution for many of the safety issues that come about because of the economies of scale that are central to the industrialization of the food supply.

You can’t mass produce cheap food without cutting corners. The salmonella and e coli which have been the impetus for Mr. Marler’s most famous lawsuits are epidemic in factory-farmed animals, raised in cramped, filthy conditions, and weakened by growth hormones and diets that make them gain weight quickly without adequately nourishing them. Sure, well-cared for animals get sick too, but they’re less likely to suffer from the kinds of ailments which go hand-in-hand with industrial practices. Similarly, global food companies use questionable additives to add bulk without adding value, and to cheaply extend shelf life.

I hope Mr. Marler’s warnings about the potential dangers of local foods can act as a reminder that food isn’t necessarily safe simply because it’s produced on a small scale. But I certainly want to set the record straight about the fact that farmers’ market vendors are conscientiously supervised and inspected. And I still feel safer buying my food from someone who visibly takes pride in their operation than from a multinational conglomerate.

food safety, local food, devra gartenstein, bill marler, e coli, public health