Return to food sanity

President Obama announced yesterday that the disgraceful failures in food processing safety must come to an end. It’s about time. When you can’t trust peanut butter not to have salmonella, when sending downer cattle right into the meat supply is deemed acceptable, when giant food processors are policed by private auditors with ties to the corporations, when even lettuce is suspect, we have a problem that can’t be papered over with partisan rumblings about too much government interference in business.

In a perfect world, food manufacturers of all types would have such pride in their products that inspection wouldn’t be necessary. Not this world, where profit outdoes conscience and care. I say: “Bring on the inspectors.” (And as much as possible, know exactly where your food comes from — local, small producers, and food you can put a face to.)