Oct. 13, 2010 /EIN Presswire/ – The food safety debate has entered the political races in Iowa, the state that grabbed national attention after more than half a billion of its eggs were recalled after a salmonella outbreak.
Dairy farmer Francis Thicke is challenging current state Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey, who is seeking a second term. Northey is in favor of the FDA maintaining federal oversight of food safety to allow uniformity among all the states. Thicke wants Iowa to instead adopt food safety rules independent of the FDA since he feels new FDA rules are insufficient and out-of-date.
Thicke also said Iowa should require mandatory vaccination programs, regular inspections for salmonella and require that egg producers hire on-staff veterinarians.
There is consensus around the nation that more regulation is needed to ensure food safety, but at what level should the enforcement take place?
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