As I read the morning paper while spending time at home I can't help but notice the top story on the front page of the Chicago Tribune stating "E. coli test of produce may be cut." If only I weren't a public health nerd I would probably glance over this story or think to myself, what is going on with our food system and government? Are we about to cut a program that helps protect our produce here in the United States?
I read more into the article and thankfully the Senate still needs to vote on the bill, but the House had already approved the bill that would end funding for the Microbiological Data Program. Now I am now epidemiologist or aspiring lab analyst, but I can appreciate the public health work done in those fields and help bring the policy to fulfill such roles. I like the Chi-Tribune article because it gives you the background story of why such a bill would even be thought of, which comes down to special interests, which mainly lay with the commercial produce industry in this case. Wether it's deciding what to eat tonight, what politician you might vote for in 2012 or arguing why we have might have a law that would cut safety testing for our nation's produce, make sure to dig a little deeper than the outside cover of something that you might find to be quite juicy inside!
In any instance, I hope you all enjoy your 4th of July and make sure those burgers are cooked to the right temperature, produce washed properly and of course, fire safety in mind ;)
Happy 4th of July!
Ryan
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