Sometimes the scariest things are true
Sometimes the scariest things are entirely based on truth and have zero fiction.
Amongst all of the news and scary stories related to the egg recall is an interesting fact regarding the regulation of eggs and their production.
Before July 9, 2010 no one specific federal agency was directly responsible for the monitoring and enforcement of egg safety standards and regulations.
According an August 24, 2010 Wall Street Journal article:
“By law, the FDA oversees the safety of shell eggs. Prior to the new egg-safety rules taking effect, the FDA had authority to inspect egg producers, …, but didn’t have standards by which to enforce cleanliness and other safety-related issues
A spokesman at the USDA said that agency has no legal authority to regulate eggs still in their shells for human consumption. Parts of the USDA inspect eggs for freshness and thickness to determine what quality grade they should be assigned. But those inspectors don’t check for bacteria such as salmonella.”
If that was not scary enough, the article goes on to state:
“Before those rules took effect, ‘if a company was taking short-cuts, it would only become apparent if there was illness involved or if there was an audit performed by the FDA.’ Said Richard Raymond, former USDA undersecretary for food safety. Mr. Raymond compared the prior FDA regulations for shell eggs to a highway speed limit: ‘It’s only illegal when you get caught.’”
To read the full article, please click here or paste the following in your browser: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704340504575447951284839386.html
