Eggs tainted with salmonella are only the latest warning sign that regulations need updating.
The recall of more than half a billion eggs suspected of being tainted with salmonella may cause the U.S. Senate finally to act on food safety legislation. The salmonella outbreak at two Iowa farms with 7 million hens sickened as many as 1,400 people.
The outbreak is only the most recent instance of tainted food — hamburger, lettuce, spinach — causing sickness and death because of the nation's antiquated food safety system.
No regulatory agency had inspected the Iowa farms to see if their eggs were fit for consumption. The Food and Drug Administration inspectors only show up after food has made people sick. The FDA has no authority to order recalls of tainted food. It relies on voluntary recalls by farmers and food processors.
Food safety enforcement is scattered across 15 federal agencies in addition to those in the states. The FDA is responsible for the safety of eggs while in their shells. Once the shells are broken, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for the safety of liquid eggs. The USDA also promotes egg consumption.
The bureaucratic barriers for safer handling of eggs delayed tighter regulations for nearly 20 years. They finally went into effect last month and could have prevented the salmonella infection. They require testing of hen houses for salmonella and the purchase of hens from suppliers that check for the bacteria.
Inexplicably, they fail to require hens to be inoculated with a salmonella vaccine, which has drastically reduced salmonella among eggs in Britain.
The Food Safety Modernization Act — sponsored by U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn. — has passed the House of Representatives, but is stalled in the Senate. It would split the FDA into two agencies. Food safety regulation would be consolidated in one agency, while the other would have responsibility for drugs and medical devices.
The food safety agency would be able to order recalls, set safety standards and hold regular inspections. It also would set up a system to trace food from the farm to the store.
The legislation is needed if Americans are to stop wondering if their next hamburger, egg or leaf of lettuce will sicken or kill them.
— New Haven Register
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