Nation's Food Safety System Set for New Rules

Jamie Sheller — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:09:05 GMT

Both the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration are taking steps to improve the safety of our food. The Department of Agriculture is set to conduct regular tests of "bench trim," the meat trimmings added to other meat to make ground beef, in order to prevent E. coli contamination of beef sold to consumers. The FDA is seeking more extensive "mandatory standards for growing, harvesting and processing fruits and vegetables." The House of Representatives already passed legislation strengthening the FDA's food safety oversight powers. Similar legislation is scheduled for Senate consideration in the fall.

Most meat used in ground beef has been tested for E. coli, but inspectors had not been testing the bench trim. Recently, there have been several outbreaks of a virulent strain of E. coli, leading to recalls of tainted ground beef. This particular E. coli strain, O157:H7, can cause fatal illness, and it may survive cooking. According to the American Meat Institute, the industry supports additional government testing of meat.

There have also been several cases of illnesses from tainted produce, primarily tomatoes, leafy greens and melons. The FDA recently issued voluntary guidelines to improve the safety of these crops. Eventually these guidelines will lead to mandatory regulations for handling produce. Enforceable standards and requirements should be complete in two years.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie Sheller

Food Inspector Shortages Are Critical Problem

Jamie Sheller — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:00:00 GMT

The recent salmonella outbreak has highlighted a problem in the food inspection system. The federal government relies heavily on states to monitor our country's food supply. However, dozens of food inspection jobs are vacant, due to state budgetary woes. For instance, Georgia, the site of the Peanut Corporation of America plant at the center of the recent salmonella outbreak, has 15 vacant inspector positions. Currently, about 60 state inspectors in Georgia are responsible for 16,000 sites. In Texas, 34 people are responsible for inspecting 21,000 facilities. According to food safety experts, there is an increasing risk that food problems won't be detected when there are shortages of inspectors. The food inspector shortage is not expected to improve any time soon, as many states are facing budget shortfalls, and are even cutting funds for roads and police.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jamie Sheller

Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer - food safety

Nation's Food Safety System Set for New Rules

Food Inspector Shortages Are Critical Problem