(ASQ: Milwaukee) Eliminating outbreaks of food-borne illness is possible but it won’t happen by increasing inspections alone, say food safety experts in the latest Quarterly Quality Report from the American Society for Quality. The answer, the report finds, is in prevention. “The problem is that we can’t inspect the defect out of the product,” says Steve Wilson, chief quality officer for the U.S. Commerce Department and ASQ board member. That’s because more than half of reported food-borne outbreaks cannot be attributed to any specific microorganism by current diagnostic methods, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). “Since we each can’t have our own food tasters—like the medieval nobles did—our best option is to take more proactive steps in earlier stages of food production,” notes Wilson. Other experts agree.

Key trends are pushing the industry toward a more preventative approach to food safety, according to John Surak, a food safety consultant and member of ASQ’s Food, Drug and Cosmetic Division who works with major food manufacturers around the United States.

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