A FoodProcessing.com article about the effect that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has on food companies by forcing them to find ways to lower their costs quoted Michael Doyle, director of UGA’s Center for Food Safety.
Speaking about how the company’s drive to lower prices provides incentives for companies to cut corners, Doyle said: “I suspect Wal-Mart has something to do with this. I’m very concerned about Wal-Mart’s own commitment to food safety and how they drive other companies to lower prices in order to improve Wal-Mart’s bottom line. In the process, food safety is suffering across the industry.”
He added: “A lot of companies in the food industry are not putting the emphasis on food safety that they have in the past. It’s time the food industry steps back and re-evaluates its commitment to food safety.”