A couple of headlines caught my attention this morning.

The first, “China To Offer Up To $48,000 Reward For Food Safety Informers” might find some takers.

Apparently, China will offer up to 300,000 Yuan ($48,200) as a cash reward to people who report on others who violate food safety laws. Frequent Chinese media reports refer to cooking oil being recycled from drains, carcinogens in milk, and fake eggs. In 2008, milk laced with melamine killed at least six children and sickened nearly 300,000.

The second, “UK Kebab Shop Owner, Jailed For ‘Heinous’ Food Safety Violations” made me think about my friend, Stewart Parnell, of Salmonella peanut butter fame.

In Wales the owner of Adonis Kebab House in Cardiff, Wales, was sentenced to eight months jail time for “heinous” food safety a little over a year after nine of his customers fell ill with E. coli poisoning after eating his food. Some of the most alarming violations include storing raw and cooked beef side-by-side, failing in adequately clean chopping boards and using dirty towels to wipe off kebab skewers.

Perhaps we should scrap those new FDA food safety rules?