Exploring the Public Health and Safety Importance of a Corporate Chief Public Health Officer in Food Service and Food Production Organizations

Problem Statement

Artiga and Rae (2020) outline that 3.4 million people work in food production businesses in the United States. While most of the food production employees are White (51%), Hispanic workers (34%) comprise more than double as many food manufacturing employees equated to their share of all workers (17%). Artiga and Rae (2020) outline that despite being more likely than all workers to work full-time (82% vs. 76%), food production employees are more likely to have a household income below 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL), which is $12,760 for an individual and $26,200 for a family of four as of 2020 (29% vs. 19%). Artiga and Rae (2020) stress that food production workers, particularly Black and Hispanic workers, are also more likely to be uninsured than workers overall (17% vs. 10%). These statistics stress the organizational and community value of having a prominent public health professional in organizations to create holistic corporate public health strategies that protect the employees and the communities they inhabit. Having a chief public health officer is critical because many food production workers have limited ability to absorb income decreases, creating disincentives for them to miss work even if they feel ill and increasing the risk of them experiencing financial challenges if they do miss work (Artiga & Rae, 2020.

Moreover, food production workers may face increased barriers to testing and treatment due to their relatively higher uninsured rate (Artiga & Rae, 2020). The gap in the literature and the novelty of the paper is that there is a limited amount of research on the value of having a corporate Chief Public Health Officer. This paper intends to springboard the discussion of addressing the problem why a corporate Chief Public Health Officer is a necessity for restaurant chains, factory farms, food production facilities, and cruise lines.

Background And Relevant Content

A whistle blower complaint against Abbott Nutrition, the maker of Similac and other popular formulas regarding food safety at a plant that manufactured infant formula linked to a deadly, ongoing food poisoning outbreak has brought attention to a stronger organizational focus on public health strategy (Beach, 2021).

The document, sent to top officials at the Food and Drug Administration in October 2021, outlined public health lapses that lead to the Cronobacter food poisoning outbreak among babies in which at least four babies have been hospitalized, with two having died (Beach, 2021).

According to Beach (2021) “the whistle blower document outlines many problems at the Abbott production facility in Sturgis, MI, including the following: