(Washington, D.C.) – The Government Accountability Project (GAP) today announced the launch of a new website for its Food Integrity Campaign (FIC), a campaign to protect the rights of employees in the food industry and government who speak out against unsafe, unhealthy and inhumane practices.

FIC is a program of GAP, the nation’s leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization. GAP has assisted over 800 private sector, USDA and FDA employees over the past three decades reveal rampant problems in the food industry and inadequate government oversight.

“The website is an opportunity to reach out to food sector whistleblowers and inform the public about food-related issues,” said GAP Food Integrity Campaign Director Amanda Hitt. “We also see the chance to deepen or develop connections with coalition partners who share our goals of a healthy food system, fair labor standards, and humane treatment of animals.”

The term “food integrity” aims to capture all aspects of the industrial food chain, from soil to plate, including:

  • Life on the “Farm” – A spotlight on industrial agriculture — on land and water — and the problems it causes, including harm to our ecosystems and raw food products, inhumane handling of animals, and labor exploitation.
  • Problems with Processing – How large-scale food processing increases exposure to harmful contaminants and additives.
  • Transportation and Retail – Problems related to national and even global food distribution, as well as deceptive branding/labeling of products.
  • Consumption – The impact of agribusiness on human health and food insecurity, and, with a rapidly multiplying global population, the mushrooming crisis of waste disposal.

The campaign works to protect whistleblowers who expose wrongdoing and promotes reforms to enhance overall food integrity. For example, GAP assisted USDA veterinarian Dean Wyatt who recently testified to Congress about inhumane treatment and safety violations he witnessed at slaughterhouses. GAP helped industry quality control manager Kit Foshee expose his company’s inflated claim that treating its ground meat with ammonia protects consumers from dangerous pathogens. And GAP was there to assist Kenneth Kendrick blow the whistle on salmonella-contaminated peanuts. Other key cases can be found on the FIC website along with an interactive graphic illustrating the irrationalities and redundancies in our national food regulatory system.

 

Contact: Amanda Hitt, Food Integrity Campaign Director
Phone: 202.457.0034, ext. 159
Email: [email protected]

 

Government Accountability Project

The Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, GAP’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, GAP is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.

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