FLORIDA: Is the USDA really ‘on the job’? - (Lakeland Ledger (Editorial))
October 9, 2007 – 6:02 pmLast month’s recall of almost 22 million pounds of frozen hamburger is proof of how well federal safety measures are working, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture official.
This editorial says there’s an ounce or so of logic sizzling in that claim, but it’s unlikely to reassure anyone who has fallen ill from contaminated meat in recent weeks. And it shouldn’t deter regulators and lawmakers from taking a closer look at food safety.
The editorial goes on to say that USDA had indications that E. coli contaminations could be more common now than in past years. The department noticed a slight increase in positive results for E. coli during routine nationwide tests of meat this summer, USA Today reported.
Perhaps the Topps recall is an isolated event that was handled as quickly as possible. But federal officials should, to borrow Wal-Mart’s phrase, show “an abundance of caution” and review the entire inspection […]
MORE:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsafety/news/fsnews.cfm?newsid=21788
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