Salmonella outbreak prompts fixes in food Safety

The Associated Press reports that fixing the nation’s food safety woes many not be possible this year, if President Barack Obama doesn’t makes it a top priority, a senior lawmaker warned after a hearing yesterday exposed loopholes in government oversight that contributed to the ongoing salmonella outbreak.  Lawmakers  reacted angrily when told that food companies and state safety inspectors don’t have to report to the FDA when test results find pathogens in a processing plant.  “I’d like to see some people go to jail,” Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. said.  “A fine is a cost of doing business.  When somebody thinks they’re going to go to jail if they don’t report something and clean it up, that’s an entirely different matter.”