All Talk and No New Food Safety Laws
In the news today is Senator Charles Schumer’s call for improved federal oversight of meat safety. From the Associated Press:
"The USDA has become a toothless tiger when it comes to keeping our meat clean and safe," Schumer told a news conference in Manhattan's meatpacking district. "Ensuring the safety of our meat and poultry requires immediate action."
. . . Schumer said he would reintroduce legislation that would give the USDA the power to temporarily shut down meat processing plants that repeatedly fail inspections for E. coli bacteria and expand the agency's authority to trace and recall contaminated food.
. . . "The better we inspect and protect our food supply, the safer we are against bacteria that can come both from unsafe plants and from people looking to cause harm and wreak havoc by tainting our food supply," Schumer said. "We need to be more vigilant than ever, and that applies to everything from airline security to food safety."
The staggering amount of recalled ground beef has given politicians something to get on a soapbox about, but we need less talk and more action. On September 12 we wrote about some of the food safety bills that are before Congress. All of them were read and referred to committee, where they continue to sit, some since the beginning of this year. Since September 12, more food safety bills have been introduced. At some point our federal legislators need to get out of the limelight and get down to work to make some of these bills law.
Source: "Schumer Calls for Tougher Meat Inspection Standards," Associated Press and Newsday, October 14, 2007 <http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--schumer-meatrecal1014oct14,0,5008480.story>