WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA Warning about produce is considered

The National Restaurant Association says such warnings are ineffective.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Allegheny County Health Department is considering modifying warnings about raw or undercooked animal products that will begin appearing on restaurant menus next year to include warnings about produce because of a hepatitis A outbreak that killed three people and sickened hundreds.
Developed before the October outbreak, the warnings so far will mention only meat, fish, poultry and dairy. The National Restaurant Association contends that such warnings are not effective and that there are better ways to go about making food as safe as possible.
"This is, 'Welcome to my restaurant, did you know that the food I'm about to serve you could be dangerous?"' said Steven Grover, the association's vice president of health and safety regulatory affairs.
Allegheny County's menu warnings, to be phased in next year, "wouldn't have done anything with the products that were involved. This was a produce product," he said of the hepatitis A outbreak at a western Pennsylvania Chi-Chi's that's been traced to green onions from Mexico.
Food safety warnings on menus are not new, said Guillermo Cole, spokesman for the health department. The county's warnings are based in part on the Food and Drug Administration's model food code.
"Eventually, I think you'll see this everywhere," he said.
Produce
Cole said he was unsure how -- or if -- the department will add produce, but a food safety group will discuss produce safety next month.
"It doesn't really make sense for some dishes that are served cold," he said. "We're not saying cook your salad."
The FDA's food code provides recommended language that state and local government agencies can use in advising consumers about the risks of animal products. The warnings do not necessarily have to be on menus, but could be in a brochure or on a sign.
Grover said the food code singles out animal products when numerous illnesses -- such as the recent Chi-Chi's outbreak -- have been linked to produce.
Other states, including Washington and Illinois, also require restaurants to provide information to customers about potential health risks of raw or undercooked animal products.
Chains have warnings
Several restaurants in Allegheny County, including chains Red Lobster, Bob Evans and Chili's, already include such warnings, Cole said.
John Barsotti, president of the Western Chapter of The Pennsylvania Restaurant Association and owner of the Common Plea, a downtown Pittsburgh restaurant, has been providing warnings about raw or undercooked foods for nearly a year.
"I didn't see any reason not to do it ... We're in the hospitality business" and the information could help consumers, he said. He has heard no comments on the warnings, he said.
Red Lobster has had a notice about risks of raw or undercooked meats and fish on its menus nationwide since July, said Mike Bernstein, a spokesman for Darden Restaurants, which owns the seafood chain. The company was noticing increased local regulation and wanted to be proactive for its customers, he said. The warnings are also on Darden's Smokey Bones BBQ and Bahama Breeze restaurants.
"This is about education and letting the consumer make informed decisions," Cole said. For instance, he said, some diners may not know that Caesar salad dressing may be made with raw eggs.
Grover said diners are more knowledgeable than they are given credit for.
"This scheme of warning isn't going to do anything," Grover said. Instead, the association favors food safety research and education for handlers.
"We strongly support public food safety education but it's got to be done at the right time and the right place," Grover said. "No one has any data to show the warnings impact food safety in any way ... I see it as a waste of time, energy and money."
Grover also doesn't see such warnings as providing any legal protections.
"A restaurateur always is responsible for the food they serve ... and simply slapping a warning doesn't have any effectiveness," he said, noting that warnings on cigarette packs haven't protected the tobacco industry from lawsuits.