Food Safety

Everybody's in favor of food safety but not everyone agrees about how to get there from here. Consumer groups want tougher regulation and more frequent inspection of food processing plants and farms. While almost no one opposes this, many public health scientists think irradiation could go a long way towards killing many of the pathogens that sicken thousands of Americans each year.

There's not likely to be agreement anytime soon. A big part of the problem is the highly industrialized nature of food production. Never before has food been grown in such vast quantities and shipped over such great distances before it reaches our table. Writing from India, globe-trotting correspondent Tom Glaister examines the issue in Industrial "Food" a Growing Menace.

More about Food Safety ...

• Feline's Pride Expands Nationwide Recall of Cat Food Products
• Romaine Lettuce Recalled Over Possible E. Coli
• Salsa And Guacamole Common Source of Contamination
• CSPI: Food Dyes Pose Rainbow of Risks
• 'Free Range' Eggs Not Necessarily Healthier
• Gulf Coast Oysters Unsafe (But Not For the Reason You Think)
• Two Meat Packers Recall Beef Over E. Coli Concerns
• High Fructose, Trans Fat Can Damage Liver, Study Says
• Food Makers Recall SpaghettiOs, Frozen Dinners
• Barbecue Basics: Tips To Prevent Foodborne Illness
• Studies Find Unprocessed and Spiced Meats Are Safest
• Tainted Produce More Likely for Low-Income Shoppers
• Salmonella Recall Spreads Quickly to Other Products
• Salmonella Contamination Leads to Recalls of Foods Containing HVP
• Salmonella Found in a Widely-Used Processed Food Ingredient
• Packaged Salad Can Contain High Levels Of Bacteria
• Trader Joe's Recalls Some Granola Bars
• Missouri Company Recalls 14,000 Pounds of Beef Due to E.Coli
• California Firm Recalls Beef Products
• Beef Recall Produces Call For Plant Closing
• Consumer Reports: Most Store-Bought Chicken Contains Harmful Bacteria
• At Least 2 Deaths Reported in Massive E.Coli Ground Beef Recall
• Food Toxin Linked To Liver Cancer
• Senate Urged To Pass Food Safety Modernization Act
• Consumers Have Little Trust That Food They Buy is Safe and Healthy
• Consumers Union Opposes USDA Proposal On Salad Safety
• Nothing Simple about Food Dating, Expiration Dates or 'Use-By' Dates
• House Passes Food Safety Bill
• Salmonella Scare Prompts Dairy Recall
• Most Consumers Lack Confidence In Food Safety, Survey Says
• House Committee Unanimously Passes Food Safety Bill
• Food Safety Bill Aired In House
• FDA Warns About Listeria in Salmon
• FDA Closes Tortilla Plant
• FDA Rolls Out Food Safety Plan
• Brits Get Treats, Yanks Get Tricks From Food Companies
• Alfalfa Sprouts Recalled in Salmonella Outbreak
• Whole Foods Recalls Fresh Ground Beef
• Jalapeño Peppers from Mexico Recalled
• Emergency Regs Needed for Tracking Produce, Food Groups Say
• Nebraska Beef Recall Expanded to 5.3 Million Pounds
• Kroger Expands Ground Beef Recall
• Salmonella Outbreak is Biggest Ever Tied to Produce
• Congressional Report Faults FDA Inaction
• FDA Warns Of Tomato-Linked Salmonella
• CDC Links 2006 Salmonella Outbreak to Dog Food
• Chicken Labels Can Be Misleading
• Court Orders Tyson to Pluck its 'No Antibiotics' Campaign
• Report Finds Flaws In Food Inspection System
• Lawmakers Push For 'Transparency' On Food Recalls
• Salmonella Illnesses Linked to Recently Recalled Cereal
• Honduran Cantaloupes Linked To Salmonella
• Pills in Fish Sticks Spark Recall
• Massive Beef Recall Follows Mad Cow Scare
• FDA Warns Of Contaminated Gulf Coast Seafood
• USDA Closes Plant Suspected Of Slaughtering Downer Cows
• Schools Drop Burgers From Menu After Downer Cow Scare
• Green Bean, Garbanzo Bean Recall Expanded
• Food Recalls
• Pet Food Recalls
• FDA To Allow Cloned Animals In Food Chain
• FDA Warns of Botulism in Canned Green Beans
• Gift Basket Cheese Recalled
• Totino's, Jeno's Pepperoni Pizzas Recalled
• More Beef Recalled Because Of E. Coli Concerns
• Food Industry Wants More Regulation
• Farm Bill Provision Would Cut Meat Inspections
• Dole Recalls Bagged Salad Over E. Coli Fears
• Bagged Spinach Recalled after Salmonella Scare
• FDA Takes Action Against Iowa Dairy
• Peter Pan Returning To Store Shelves
• FDA Warns Of Another Botulism Threat
• Consumers Warned About Chinese Ginger
• Botulism Recall Extended to More Canned Foods
• China Pledges Improvements In Food Safety
• FDA Detains Some Chinese Seafood Imports
• Two U.S. Companies Recall Melamine-Tainted Feed
• China Sentences Its Former FDA Head to Death
• Meat Packer Clashes With Feds Over Inspections
• Safety of Chinese Seafood Questioned
• FDA is "Broken," Former Chief Says
• Thousands of Hogs May Have Eaten Contaminated Feed
• U.S. Food Supply at High Risk of Terrorist or Profit-Driven Tampering
• Congress Pressing for Better Food Safety
• CDC Reports Progress on Foodborne Illness Stalled in 2006
• FDA Warns of Contaminated Olives
• Peanut Butter Recalls Spread to Ice Cream & Desserts
• Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich Chicken Strips Recall Expanded
• Industrial "Food" a Growing Menace
• Rats! New York KFC Store Has A Problem
• Irradiation Debate Flares Amid Food Poisoning Outbreaks
• Oscar Mayer, Louis Rich Chicken Strips Recalled
• Reports of Peanut Butter-Borne Illness Increase
• Legislation Would Create New Food Safety Agency
• School Cafeterias Even Worse than You Thought
• New Test Detects E. coli, Salmonella Quickly
• Lettuce Now Prime Suspect In Taco Bell E. coli Cases
• FDA, Taco Bell At Odds Over E. coli Source
• Virginia Man Has Mad Cow Disease
• Consumer Groups Want FDA to Regulate Sanitation on Farms
• Irradiation Could Reduce Food-Borne Illness
• Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Restaurant Tomatoes
• Tomatoes Blamed for Salmonella Outbreak
• California Urged to Monitor Farms for Food Safety
• Lettuce is OK, Grower Claims
• Some Lettuce Recalled Over E. coli Concerns
• FDA Warns of Botulism Risk in Bolthouse Farms Carrot Juice
• Food Safety Expert Sees More Trouble Ahead
• Tainted Spinach Toll Rises
• Second Company Named in Contaminated Spinach Outbreak
• Consumer complaints about Contaminated Spinach
• Carrot Juice Suspected in Botulism Cases
• California Spinach Blamed for E. coli Outbreak
• E. coli Outbreak in Bagged Spinach
• "Food Industry Protection Act" Threatens Food Safety
• Candy Makers Agree to Reduce Lead in Mexican-Style Candies
• Pepsi Agrees to Get the Lead Out of Mexican Soda Bottles Used in the U.S.
• House Votes to Outlaw State Food Safety Laws
• Congress Set to Scrap State Food Safety Laws
• Consumers Misled by Food Labels
• Deaths, Illness from Contaminated Oysters Continue
• Salmonella Outbreaks Linked to Produce on the Rise
• CSPI: Government Should Warn About Mercury in Fish
• Meat & Poultry Recalls Ineffective, Study Finds
• Illinois Embargoes Lead-Tained Candy