The public should not hesitate to be more involved in the food safety policymaking process, Dr. Elisabeth Hagen and Michael Taylor, the nation’s two leading food safety officials, told an audience at the Food Safety Summit in Baltimore late last week. Dr. Hagen is Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture… Continue Reading
Opinion
In writing about food safety for the past four years, I’ve come to appreciate those times when government, industry and consumers are all on the same page. It’s at those moments that a bipartisan Congress adopts reforms like the Food Safety Modernization Act. Then there are times when government, industry and consumers are not on… Continue Reading
The nation’s meat inspectors will be forced to take the same days off, possibility shutting down the U.S. meat industry on those dates, the House Agriculture Subcommittee learned Wednesday. In an exchange with USDA Under Secretary For Food Safety Elisabeth Hagen, the committee heard details of the administration’s plan for 11 furlough days that might… Continue Reading
Opinion
I wrote a few imaginary New Year’s resolutions for some of our newsmakers that we haven’t gotten around to publishing until now. As the great Willie Nelson would say: “Funny how time slips away.” Truth be told, some of my colleagues thought I was being too harsh on the government this year. I don’t think… Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: We continue today with our look back at what happened in 2012 with the Top Ten Most Important Stories of 2012 as selected by the writers and editors of Food Safety News. Like yesterday’s Reader’s Choices, the stories that drove Food Safety News’ readership to new heights, the Top Ten is a way… Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: It’s time to put out the milk and cookies for Santa Claus and read the Food Safety News Naughty and Nice List for 2012. This is the fourth N&N list we’ve prepared. Our annual Naughty and Nice List along with our New Year’s Resolutions are among the traditions we’ve continued to observe as… Continue Reading
USDA’s top four Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) officials held 22 meetings with persons outside the federal government over the summer, according to the agency’s public calendar. Food Safety News periodically published summaries of public calendars for the federal government’s top food safety officials, and last did so on June 25 for March, April… Continue Reading
Consumers now have an electronic system for reporting problems with meat, poultry and egg products from USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). “Consumers are an important source of the information that FSIS needs to ensure that America’s supply of meat, poultry and egg products is safe,” said Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth… Continue Reading
Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be going live at 3 p.m. EST to answer questions about food safety on Twitter. Anyone is invited to attend these “virtual office hours,” hosted by Dr. Elizabeth Hagen, USDA’s Under Secretary for Food Safety in honor of National Food Safety Education Month. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection… Continue Reading
Opinion
Twenty-nine men and one woman have served as Secretary of Agriculture since the office was created when the U.S. Department of Agriculture achieved cabinet-level status in 1889. With the especially close Nov. 5 general election only a couple months away, in all likelihood, a new Secretary of Agriculture will be appointed in a matter of… Continue Reading
USDA’s public calendar for the agency’s four top food safety officials covering the month of March is again available on the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s website. It disappeared over the weekend, raising the possibility the calendar was begin revised for meetings over the controversial “pink slime” issue that may have occurred during the month…. Continue Reading