Balance of Food

I haven't written much about food safety. Food safety is really important, but I figured food producers (and hopefully the government) would be smart enough to realize food safety benefits all concerned. Spinach and peanut butter lovers, among others, might disagree. Fans of tomatoes, lettuce, and cantaloupes might also have serious doubts. So would readers of "Fast Food Nation." And a growing number of Americans may not disagree, but are starting to be nervous. So we get good news that the FDA has new food safety rules. The bad news is that nobody has to follow them. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who heads a subcommittee on food and farm spending, said the FDA guidance "merely tells growers what they already know." So even the guidelines aren't significant. What provoked fear is that we aren't talking about food that might be bad for you. This isn't about heart-attack burgers. Produce is what people are supposed to be eating to make themselves healthier. To truly get food to be safer, the system needs to be overhauled with less emphasis on corporate farms. You don't want to get to the point where trust is lost.