Posted on January 4, 2013 by Jason Howerton WASHINGTON (AP) —
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday proposed the most
sweeping food safety rules in decades, requiring farmers and
food companies to be more vigilant in the wake of deadly
outbreaks in peanuts, cantaloupe and leafy greens. The long-
overdue regulations are aimed at reducing the estimated 3,000
deaths a year from foodborne illness. Just since last summer,
outbreaks of listeria in cheese and salmonella in peanut butter,
mangoes and cantaloupe have been linked to more than 400
illnesses and as many as seven deaths, according to the federal
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The actual number of
those sickened is likely much higher. The FDA’s proposed rules
would require farmers to take new precautions against
contamination, to include making sure workers’ hands are washed,
irrigation water is clean, and that animals stay out of fields.
Food manufacturers will have to submit food safety plans to the
government to show they are keeping th