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 In the wake of the latest E. coli scare -- prompting a multitude of consumers and businesses to discard their organic spinach
-- Congress may soon reconsider the Safe Food Act of 2005, calling for
the establishment of another federal agency to oversee food safety
concerns.
Forming a new agency, advocates believe, would streamline the
process of containing outbreaks like the current one, still without an
definitive answer. Right now, 12 separate federal agencies and
subagencies monitor food safety. And, contaminated foods sicken an
estimated 76 million and kill some 5,000 Americans annually, meaning
the problem with food safety is likely getting worse.
In fact, one Congresswoman, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), believes a
consolidated Food Safety Administration might've caught the problem
very early, before panic spread and common sense went out the window.
However, one former FDA official pointed out, rightly, that such
consolidation makes absolutely no sense, citing the drastic differences
between ranchers raising grass-fed, antibiotic-free animals and those doing it the conventional way.
Besides, do you really believe one more amalgamated federal agency
-- tainted by compromises and backdoor deals that can potentially harm
your health -- would better protect the quality of the food we eat than
the FDA does in keeping dangerous, toxic drugs off the market?
USA Today September 26, 2006
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