Editorial: Aware of dangers

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 | 7:11 a.m.

It turns out that U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials have known for years that contamination at U.S. food production sites has been causing illnesses, and yet little was done to stop it.

As the Washington Post reported Monday, the FDA did not have the resources to address the problems at a Georgia peanut butter plant or a California spinach farm. Astonishingly, the agency relied on the food producers to enact safeguards .

Obviously, that didn't work. In August more than 400 people in 44 states were sickened by two brands of peanut butter made by ConAgra Food in Georgia.

Agency records show that the FDA had received reports about salmonella contamination at the plant in 2005 but failed to follow up after company officials refused to cooperate with inspectors, the Post reports.

Even more shocking is that FDA officials have since 1995 documented bacterial contamination at produce farms in California's Salinas Valley. It was spinach and lettuce from California farms that were infected with E. coli bacteria, which has killed three people and sickened more than 200 in the past year, the Post reports.

The FDA is responsible for safeguarding about 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, but agency officials say they lack the money and authority to adequately do the job, relying on the industry to regulate itself. Congress has approved a $10 million budget increase for the FDA for next year, but it isn't enough.

In contrast, the Agriculture Department, which regulates only meat, poultry and eggs, received 10 times that amount to pay for its inspections, which require that a USDA inspector be present in every processing plant, the Post reports.

The FDA needs to overhaul its inspection system. And Congress, which is conducting a hearing about food recalls today, needs to see to it that the agency has the money and the authority to do the job right. Americans have a right to expect that the foods they buy are safe, and it is government's job to make certain that they are safe.