Food Safety

By Dominic J. Caserta

Instead of just reacting to headlines, state government must proactively ensure our food is safe.

To make food safety a matter of constant vigilance rather than a reaction to headlines, Dominic Caserta proposes:

• Creating a superagency that oversees agencies like the Department of Health, better monitors imported food, and has the power to order food recalls -- something not even the FDA can do as of now. Think of it as an FBI for food safety with the aim of preventing salmonella, E. coli and other outbreaks.

• Pushing for passage of the following bills (which have either been vetoed, tabled or await further action), either individually or in omnibus legislation that incorporates each bill's crucial elements:

1) SB 63, which requires the labeling of food from cloned animals and their offspring.
2) AB 541, which protects farmers and consumers from the potential hazards of genetically modified food.
3) SB 358, which ensures that California leafy green produce is safe.

• Suing the federal government to enforce its 2004 country-of-origin law, which lets consumers know where their meat, produce and nuts come from. The law's implementation has been blocked by agri-business interests and companies like Wal-Mart.

• Creating a DPH certification or monitoring system for imported foods other than meat, eggs and poultry, which are covered by the FDA. Californians need to know which products their government has certified as safe to eat.

• Using tax incentives and subsidies to expand organic farming in California. Produce shipped within the state is fresher and easier to regulate.