3 ms·

from what I understand rodents arent really adulterant? It's when people decide to do something like put melamine in milk that it becomes an issue

londons_explore 3y ago
It's almost impossible to detect an adulterant unless you know what adulterant you're looking for. There are an awful lot of possible adulterants out there too. Therefore, testing is a bit of a losing game. Instead, developed nations like the US require record keeping (ie. you need to keep a list of suppliers for each batch, and sometimes samples of each batch), and the court system allows someone to sue for a lot of money after the fact if a poisonous adulterant was found. The risk of being sued is what keeps most food safe.
- htss2013 3y ago
  What exactly are you referring to about suing for a lot of money if an adulterant is found? Is there a specific law that specifies damages? Because if not, it probably falls into the same civil framework as everything else where the amount of money sought has to be proven as proportional to damages. Unless it severely sickened you, it'd be difficult to quantifiably prove the damage that sawdust caused you.
  - londons_explore 3y ago
    In the US specifically, it is class actions that make it expensive. If someone accidentally or deliberately puts lead in the flour supply, then that can probably be traced to tens of millions of cakes given to tens of millions of people. And a good prosecution would be able to prove that while a small amount of lead didn't cause noticeable symptoms to anyone, there is plenty of evidence that across populations lead causes higher criminality, lower IQ, lower earnings, etc. And therefore, as a class, these people have been harmed by an actual dollar amount.
    - htss2013 3y ago
      Oh you meant lots of money for the lawyers, not the people whose food was adulterated, because in every class action I've ever seem, the payout amounts per person are never enough to change anyone's life. But the lawyer taking 1/3 of the sum total does well.
GordonS 3y ago
What if the rodents are pissing and shitting in the product?
- sidewndr46 3y ago
  If whole rodents are in the product it doesn't matter. Rodents are necessarily a percentage of feces and urine by mass.
- hombre_fatal 3y ago
  Just keep it below permitted levels: https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredients-additives-gras-packaging-guidance-documents-regulatory-information/food-defect-levels-handbook https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredients-additives-gras-packagin...

londons_explore 3y ago

It's almost impossible to detect an adulterant unless you know what adulterant you're looking for. There are an awful lot of possible adulterants out there too. Therefore, testing is a bit of a losing game. Instead, developed nations like the US require record keeping (ie. you need to keep a list of suppliers for each batch, and sometimes samples of each batch), and the court system allows someone to sue for a lot of money after the fact if a poisonous adulterant was found. The risk of being sued is what keeps most food safe.

htss2013 3y ago
What exactly are you referring to about suing for a lot of money if an adulterant is found? Is there a specific law that specifies damages? Because if not, it probably falls into the same civil framework as everything else where the amount of money sought has to be proven as proportional to damages. Unless it severely sickened you, it'd be difficult to quantifiably prove the damage that sawdust caused you.
- londons_explore 3y ago
  In the US specifically, it is class actions that make it expensive. If someone accidentally or deliberately puts lead in the flour supply, then that can probably be traced to tens of millions of cakes given to tens of millions of people. And a good prosecution would be able to prove that while a small amount of lead didn't cause noticeable symptoms to anyone, there is plenty of evidence that across populations lead causes higher criminality, lower IQ, lower earnings, etc. And therefore, as a class, these people have been harmed by an actual dollar amount.
  - htss2013 3y ago
    Oh you meant lots of money for the lawyers, not the people whose food was adulterated, because in every class action I've ever seem, the payout amounts per person are never enough to change anyone's life. But the lawyer taking 1/3 of the sum total does well.

GordonS 3y ago

What if the rodents are pissing and shitting in the product?

sidewndr46 3y ago
If whole rodents are in the product it doesn't matter. Rodents are necessarily a percentage of feces and urine by mass.
hombre_fatal 3y ago
Just keep it below permitted levels: https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredients-additives-gras-packaging-guidance-documents-regulatory-information/food-defect-levels-handbook https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredients-additives-gras-packagin...