Between the size of the recall and all the products that were affected, to say nothing of the illnesses and deaths that have been attributed to the outbreak, you have a perfect setting to talk about a complete overhaul of the way food is inspected in this country. Will we see a Department of Food Safety, or will the USDA or FDA take on the other’s roles?
When I spoke with Scott Downing, president of the Southeastern Meat Association, he asked me if I knew of any other industry that has government inspectors in the plant every day. I couldn’t think of any. Maybe it’s time that the rest of the food industry catch up to the meat processors and deal with daily inspections.