Steven Holt: “our Nation's food inspection system is a critical safeguard in guaranteeing the health and welfare of all Americans.…”

“our Nation's food inspection system is a critical safeguard in guaranteeing the health and welfare of all Americans. However, the federal protections that have existed for over 40 years are now threatened by a provision in the Farm bill that would allow meat and poultry inspected by state inspectors to be sold across state lines. The Nation's food inspection system has served our Nation well by providing clear guidelines and a network of dedicated professional Federal inspectors. Its roots go back to the early 1900s, where a Federal inspection system became one of the landmark legislative accomplishments of President Theodore Roosevelt. While occasional problems have developed, on the whole, our national meat and poultry inspection system has been an unqualified success, with minimal incidents of food borne illnesses due to poor practices, handling or hygiene. So why would we change a system that is so successful? It is my understanding that this change is being proposed to encourage the growth of small meat processing facilities as well as create new markets for state-inspected meat. While more competition and building new markets are laudable goals, they need not come at the expense of food safety or result in the dismantlement of the federal inspection system. No one has made a compelling case that the federal inspection system has truly hindered competition or market development. Thousands of small plants do well under the current inspection regime.”