Mercury News Editorial
06/23/2008
If the tomato salmonella outbreak didn't make you nervous about the food you buy, this should: The Centers for Disease Control estimates that for every salmonella case it receives, 38 are not brought to the attention of doctors.
The federal government needs to overhaul its system for inspecting and regulating the food supply. Consumers should demand it. The first step? Consolidating the food-safety system under one roof.
It's ridiculous that the Food and Drug Administration regulates the safety of 80 percent of the food supply but receives just over 20 percent of the money Congress appropriates to do the job. The Department of Agriculture gets most of the money but only regulates meat, eggs and poultry.
The USDA should get out of safety regulation. Its primary mission is promoting agriculture. Trying to monitor it as well creates an obvious conflict of interest.
We aren't the first to suggest that one agency should govern food safety. The National Academy of Sciences made the recommendation 10 years ago. The Government Accountability Office has labeled the current system "high risk."
The FDA is partially to blame for the lack of action. The agency has yet to implement 27 of the 34 recommendations to improve food safety sought by the GAO in 2004.
The food industry also shares the blame, fearing that tougher regulations may result in higher costs. Here's a news flash: The latest salmonella outbreak will cost the tomato industry
Mercury News