Hungry for change

Food safety has become a national spectacle over the past several months. While there have been no recent foodborne epidemics, Health Minister Wael Abou Faour has incessantly reminded us that much of what we eat “violates health standards.” Yet despite this cringeworthy thought, it is refreshing to see the minister taking food safety so seriously — notwithstanding our nagging suspicions about his true motives for waging this campaign and disappointment over his lack of hard numbers to reinforce how serious the risks we face are. Abou Faour has repeatedly pledged not to let food safety fall off the radar when he leaves office, but we need much more than a pledge. We need serious institutional reform. [pullquote]We need much more than a pledge. We need serious institutional reform[/pullquote] For far too long, Lebanon’s elected officials have known there are serious problems with the current system for ensuring that what we