I grew up with the phrase “knowledge is power.” I use it on my kids all the time to get them to research and know the facts about important subjects before they make decisions. I have lived by that statement for years.

Until today.

Today is the day that I changed the phrase to something more fitting: “Knowledge becomes power only when it is applied and used." Let that sink in. It is a powerful statement, and one that is highly relevant in the situation with Boar’s Head Provisions Co. in Jarratt, Va., today.

I am sure we have all been following the news reports on the Listeria outbreak. Fifty-seven people infected from 18 states, 9 deaths, and approximately 7 million pounds recalled. I am not here to speculate, as this investigation is ongoing, and I would caution everyone to hold off on speculation until the investigation is complete. There are many moving parts right now, and we should be patient and wait for all the facts to emerge.

However, we are all human, and I am also sure that we have pointed fingers at what we think happened and have placed blame along the way. It is easy to do when you are one step removed, and if you don’t work for Boar’s Head.

But let’s go back to my statement above. Knowledge is NOT power. It only has the potential to be powerful if we apply it and use it. How can we give knowledge the power it deserves in this food safety tragedy? Take the facts from this outbreak investigation (knowledge) and apply them to your own facilities (power). The NRs associated with the Jarratt, Va., Boars Head plant are now publicly available for all of us in facilities to review.

What should we as an industry be doing? Everyone should have a meeting ASAP with their employees (food safety, maintenance, production, sanitation, basically all employees) and review foods safety plans, review NRs, verify the NRs have been addressed and fixed, review trends, and conduct a HACCP plan review. This is an opportunity to turn that knowledge into power and fix what needs fixing.

The issue at hand is that if you know something, you become responsible for doing something. A decision to either do something or nothing with this knowledge is a choice.

As a reminder, as we point a finger at this Boar’s Head outbreak, the rest of our fingers point back at us. Do the right thing and turn knowledge into power to prevent another outbreak.

Boar's Head: Applying the Knowledge at Hand

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