The SoyNut Butter and a related granola were sold in stores across the country, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA does not specify, however, which stores, centers or schools — because that would violate its interpretation of an obscure trade secret rule. “Our mantra is that a more transparent food system is a safer food system,” said Thomas Gremillion, the director of food policy at the Consumer Federation of America. “Examples of [confidential consumer information] include raw material supplier lists, finished product customer lists, trace back information, etc.,” said Peter Cassell, a spokesman for the FDA. But because FDA regulates the cheese itself, there was no such list of stores that sold the cheese outside salads.

Source: Washington Post March 13, 2017 16:05 UTC