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In order to reform government and industry practices, Safe Tables Our Priority (S.T.O.P.) uses a variety of advocacy tactics, including public education and awareness, research, regulatory advocacy, congressional lobbying, and victim assistance. S.T.O.P.'s members include families who have suffered illness and loss from a contaminated meat and poultry, produce, juice and ready-to-eat processed foods and more. In this article their leaders explain how their comprehensive advocacy strategy has produced significant results.

"Our goal is safe food for all consumers, not merely better food safety mechanisms. Asserting a right to safe food puts the burden on the government and industry to protect consumers, and not merely detect contaminated food," says Nancy Donley, President of S.T.O.P, a national organization dedicated to preventing suffering, illness and death due to foodborne illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), foodborne diseases cause nearly 76 million illnesses and 1,800 deaths in the United States each year. S.T.O.P. believes that these preventable infections occur because the U.S. food safety system is flawed, and until consumers demand safe food and changes to the regulatory system, no individual or family is completely protected from foodborne illness.

History of S.T.O.P.
Donna Rosenbaum, Executive Director of S.T.O.P, and Donley were inspired to found the organization over fifteen years ago when their lives were tragically changed forever by foodborne illness. Donley lost her son Alex to E. coli and Rosenbaum's daughter lost her best friend at the age of six to foodborne disease. Like many parents at the time, Rosenbaum and Donley wanted to know why children were exposed to toxins, and were furious to learn that few mechanisms are in place to prevent contaminated food from reaching kitchen tables. For example, the government does not have the authority to recall food, even if it is aware that food is contaminated.

Out of their grief and anger, Donley and Rosenbaum became advocates for safe food, despite having no prior experience with advocacy. Today, they have valuable insights to share on what it takes to be an effective voice for change, as a result of their successful efforts to improve government oversight of the path food takes to our kitchen tables.

Supporting Victims
Donley emphasizes that foodborne illness can strike anyone. Consequently, victims and their families are spread throughout the U.S., and often find it difficult to connect with one another. S.T.O.P has made victim assistance a major part of their mission, and seeks to give victims the ability to tell their stories and be heard. According to Rosenbaum, the simple act of telling their stories facilitates many victims' emotional recovery.

To provide the public, victims, and others with as much information as possible on foodborne illness, S.T.O.P. maintains a toll-free hotline (1-800-350-STOP) through which the organization offers practical information on foodborne illness and contacts to local health departments. In 2003, S.T.O.P. hosted the National Victims’ & Advocates' Conference on Stopping Foodborne Disease, the first-ever event of its kind.

Informing Public Officials
To improve regulation, S.T.O.P. works with legislators on Capitol Hill to educate them on food safety issues. They do so by holding meetings with congressman and hosting lobby days. Donley recognizes that many citizens are intimidated by their members of Congress, but says, "The important thing is to remember that members of Congress work for you." As often as possible, S.T.O.P. brings victims to Capitol Hill to tell their own stories. According to Rosenbaum, "Having one victim tell their personal story to a legislator undoes the impact of ten visits by food industry lobbyists…. Their stories give faces to the statistics."

As a result of S.T.O.P. efforts on Capitol Hill, the first-ever Congressional Food Safety Caucus was formed in 2003 with 29 bi-partisan members. The caucus's co-chair, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), thanked S.T.O.P. for its efforts at a panel discussion on food safety in 2004, and then commented on the goals of the caucus "We are hoping to provide a venue in which we can discuss these issues with the public and private sectors and, ultimately, inform legislative efforts that keep the public safe. That means discussing what happens on our farms, in our food processing establishments, in our supermarkets, our restaurants, our homes and in other places food is handled."

Monitoring Rulemaking
S.T.O.P.'s leaders recognized in the early days of their organization that administrative agencies play a critical role in regulating the food industry in this country. Nonprofits can insure that federal programs operate as they should by serving on advisory groups, monitoring programs, and issuing public reports on agency actions. Over the years, S.T.O.P has monitored the activities of federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

By actively engaging in the rulemaking process and advocating for changes as they see necessary, S.T.O.P. has used the regulatory process to advance its safe food goals. In 2001, S.T.O.P. succeeded in winning mandatory pasteurization for all bulk juices in a rule established by the FDA. S.T.O.P. also succeeding in blocking a proposal by the USDA to reverse the zero tolerance policy for salmonella in school lunch meat.

Donley understands why the regulatory process can be intimidating to nonprofit advocates, but says, "It is critical to get involved in the rulemaking process, because that’s where a lot of the action is. A law passed by Congress can look completely different after the rulemaking process." Furthermore, Donley says, it is the rulemaking process where industry lobbyists have often had the upper-hand.

Research
S.T.O.P.'s leaders understand that research can play an enormous role in advocacy efforts. A key gap in current research that they have identified is the lack of data on the long-term effects of foodborne illness. Through their work with victims, S.T.O.P. has learned that many suffer from permanent health problems as a result of their illness. These devastating outcomes can include, for example, kidney damage, high blood pressure, severe arthritis, and infertility problems. In a January 2008 AP news story, Rosenbaum said, "We're drastically underestimating the burden on society that foodborne illnesses represent." Rosenbaum says there is little data on these long-term effects, leaving many victims feeling confused. Additionally, because there is little research, society has tended to underestimate the total costs of these illnesses.

To better understand and document the lasting consequences of foodborne illness, S.T.O.P is beginning a nationwide research project to document survivors' ongoing health problems. S.T.O.P. is seeking people who are willing to share their medical histories with scientists in order to further research on this critical public health issue. At the end of this year, S.T.O.P. is planning to convene epidemiologists and public health experts to examine the data gathered, and subsequently, recommend areas for more in-depth research. S.T.O.P.'s goal is not only to provide patients with more information, but also to gather evidence to support S.T.O.P.'s belief that foodborne illness a costly public health matter that government and industry should be more actively addressing.