Powell nails it on Weston's gaffe

Dr. Doug Powell, a specialist in communicating about food safety, comments on the dust-up between Loblaw boss Galen Weston and Robert Chorney of the association for farmers’ markets that both need to point to evidence that the food they sell is safe.

Right now, Weston is saying he hopes food from farmers’ markets doesn’t end up killing somebody and Chorney is saying people trust the food they buy at farmers’ markets.

Dr. Doug Powell and his daughter, Sorenne, at a farmers' market

Powell tells them both that “inspections don’t mean much. And just because someone drives to the Food Terminal in Toronto to load up on produce at 3 a.m. and then sell it at a premium at the local market adds nothing to traceability.

Chorney pointing to surveys to say people trust food offered at farmers’ markets means little.

“Surveys suck; people’s perceptions often have no basis in reality,” says Powell.

“I ask questions. Like quality of irrigation water, what kind of shit soil amendments are used, and employee handwashing programs. I ask about microbial test strategies and results as verification that the farmer, whether she bought it from the Food Terminal or grew it herself, has a clue about dangerous microorganisms. Most answer with variations of, trust me.

"There’s already enough faith-based food safety out there,” he says.

To Chorney’s defence that farmers’ markets provide food-safety manuals to vendors, Powell jokes: “A manual? Awesome, my faith is restored.

‘I don’t care if it’s a farmer’s market or the Loblaws megalomart: provide evidence that the food you’re flogging is microbiologically safe.

‘The best producers and retailers will market food safety at retail. People want it, that’s one reason they go to markets and buy all sorts of weird categories of food, but it’s not safer; it’s hucksterism."