Dick Durbin: “a single food safety agency with authority to protect the food supply based on sound scientific principles would provide…”

“a single food safety agency with authority to protect the food supply based on sound scientific principles would provide this country with the greatest hope of reducing foodborne illnesses and preventing or minimizing the harm from a bioterrorist attack on our food supply. Right now, our food is the safest in the world, but there are widening gaps in our food safety net due to emerging threats and the fact that food safety oversight has evolved over time to spread across several agencies. This mismatched, piecemeal approach to food safety could spell disaster if we do not act quickly and decisively. But don't take it from me. Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson told reporters in December as he resigned that he worries ``every single night'' about a massive attack on the U.S. food supply. ``I, for the life of me, cannot understand why the terrorists have not, you know, attacked our food supply, because it is so easy to do,'' Thompson said. ``And we are importing a lot of food from the Middle East, and it would be easy to tamper with that,'' he said. No wonder he feels that way. Several Federal agencies, all with different and conflicting missions, work to ensure our food is safe. For example, there is no standardization for inspections--processed food facilities may see a Food and Drug Administration inspector once every 5 to 6 years, while meat and poultry operations are inspected daily by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.…”