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Article: GAPING HOLE' IN FOOD SAFETY LAW LAWMAKERS AIM TO INCREASE THE SECURITY OF THE FOOD SUPPLY.(BUSINESS)
- Article from:
- The Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI)
- Article date:
- October 9, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Capital Newspapers. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Lauran Neergaard AP medical writer
WASHINGTON -- To appreciate how Byzantine the nation's food safety system is, consider: One government agency is responsible for cheese pizza and another for pepperoni.
The meat monitors are at the Agriculture Department, which also oversees poultry. The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for most other foods, 80 percent of the supply.
Yet also consider this disparity: the FDA has only 750 inspectors, and about $260 million, to safeguard a staggering 55,000 food plants. The USDA, in contrast, has more than twice the money and thousands more inspectors to oversee 6,000 food plants.
One ...