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FOIA Case
Study Reporter: Diane Lindquist Publication: San Diego Union-Tribune, Copley Press Service Story: “Inspectors noted numerous food safety risks” Date of publication:
May 16, 2005 Background Information requested through
FOIA showed lax safety procedures and unhygienic conditions at a packaging
plant in Baja California. Deadly outbreaks of Hepatitis A were linked
to four of these packaging plants, where human and animal waste was
spilling into a pond that provided water for the packaging of green
onions in Baja California. Why was this information important for the public? Coverage of the issue led to
a new, rigorous state safety program. What information was requested? Lindquist made two FOIA requests
to the FDA for a mandatory agency report on a series of site visits
and inspections of packaging plants in Baja California. How long did the reporter wait for the requested information? The agency disclosed the information
one year after the reporter made her first request. What was the reported cause of the delay? Lindquist said the FDA knew
she was looking for the report, so they delayed formally filing it.
Consequently, the agency responded to her first request by saying that
no such report existed. Lindquist had a source within the FDA who was
able to tell her when the report would be filed and helped her properly
identify the report. She ended up waiting six months before filing her
final request. She also said she could not
find the proper person to talk to on the phone. She spent a great deal
of time trying to track down the appropriate information officer. Messages
left were never returned. How complete was the information? The disclosed report was heavily
redacted, but the information was still useful. Lindquist described
some redacted items as “ridiculous,” such as citations to relevant
regulations. Were there heavy fees or objections to a fee waiver request? There were no objections to
the fee waiver. Link to the story http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050515/news_1n15baja.html |
