Monica Potts argues that the effectiveness of new regulation is limited by our reliance on a food system easily overwhelmed by bad practices:
The bill, The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, does many commendable things, including making producers and growers more responsible for ensuring food safety before produce is shipped, and giving the Food and Drug Administration itself recall power over fresh produce. But part of what’s holding up the bill is that it treats all producers the same. While a slew of special-interest groups — including the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the American Frozen Food Institute, the American Farm Bureau, General Mills, and Kraft — have signed on to support the bill, opposition is coming from coalitions of small and organic farmers and the American Grassfed Association. Their concern is over the bill’s record-keeping requirements and its emphasis on “science based” contamination removal; they believe requirements that make food more traceable and sterile will overburden the small and local producers who sell directly to consumers.