Richard Blau Quoted in The Hill

TAMPA, FL – April 19, 2020 – Richard M. Blau, chair of GrayRobinson's alcohol beveragefood law, and cannabis industry departments, and shareholder in the firm’s Tampa law firm office, was quoted in The Hill article, "USDA Under Pressure as Food Safety Concerns Grow." The article, written by investigative journalist Alex Gangitano, explores the sudden drop in reported food product withdrawals and recalls in the United States since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and outlines how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is facing growing pressure to ensure the safety of the nation's food supply during the coronavirus outbreak. Mr. Blau discusses the challenges surrounding the determination of food recalls: "On the one hand, it could be that there are fewer reports of product withdrawals or recalls because industry members are doing a better job of safely processing the food they put out in the marketplace. On the other hand, a reduction in reported recalls may be the product of government budget cuts and regulation rollbacks that have resulted in fewer food facility inspections, the retrenchment of government oversight and our reliance on industry to self-police." Read the full article here