on FooD sAFEty, A long listBut littlE monEy
this summEr thErE hAs BEEn A DrumBEAt oF FooD-rElAtED illnEssEs. strAwBErriEs ContAiningE、Coli (大肠杆菌) killED onE pErson in orEgon AnD siCkEnED At lEAst ninE othErs. importED pApAyAs (木瓜) ContAminAtED with sAlmonEllA (沙门氏菌) poisonED morE thAn 200 pEoplE nAtionwiDE, with onE DEAD、
thE lAnDmArk FooD sAFEty lAw pAssED ByCongrEss lAstDECEmBEr is supposED to rEDuCE thE FrEquEnCy AnD sEvErity oF FooD sAFEty proBlEms, But thE roll CAll oF rECEnt CAsEs unDErlinEs thE importAnCE oF thE tAsk.
"it’s An Enormous unDErtAking," sAiD mikE tAylor, thE FooD AnDDrugADministrAtion’s DEputy CommissionEr For FooDs, whosE joB is to turn thE FAr-rEAChing lAw into A CohErEnt sEt oF rulEs thAt FArmErs, FooD proCEssors AnD importErs CAn Follow AnD rEgulAtors CAn EnForCE.
thE AgEnCy is tAking on thE ExpAnDED mission At A timE whEn wAshington BuDgEt-slAshing (大幅消减预算) mEAns thAt rEgulAtors hAvE littlE hopE oF gEtting ADDitionAl monEy AnD mAy instEAD hAvE thEir BuDgEts Cut ByCongrEss. mr. tAylor sAiD thEy DiDn’t hAvE rEsourCEs to implEmEnt thE lAw.
"thE ChoiCE is wE EithEr FinD thE rEsourCEs or wE givE up implEmEnting this lAw. you CAn’t BuilD somEthing BrAnD-nEw without thE rEsourCEs to Do it. "
thE AgEnCy is now in thE proCEss oF writing thE FooD sAFEty rulEs, with thE goAl oF prEvEnting outBrEAks likE thosE this summEr.
onE oF thE most ComplEx joBs involvEs sEtting stAnDArDs For FArmErs to grow AnD hArvEst Fruits AnD vEgEtABlEs sAFEly. thE First DrAFt oF thE FArm riFlEs is DuE EArly nExt yEAr. thE AgEnCy is ExpECtED to DEAl with BAsiCs likE hAnD-wAshing stAtions For FiElD workErs, tEsts oF irrigAtion wAtEr AnD mEAsurEs to protECt FiElDs From wilD AnimAls thAt CAn trACk in BACtEriA、
yEt thE stAnDArDs must tAkE into ACCount A hugE vAriEty oF Crops, FArming prACtiCEs AnD FArm sizEs.
thE tAsk is All thE morE DEliCAtE BECAusE thE AgEnCy hAs nEvEr BEForE hAD A mAjor prEsEnCE onAmEriCAn FArms.
For A yEAr AnD A hAlF, wEll BEForECongrEss pAssED thE FooD sAFEty lAw, mr. tAylor hAs visitED FArmErs ArounD thE Country AnD sought to EAsE thEir FEArs thAt An Army oF FooD sAFEty oFFiCiAls will ComE storming through thEir FiElDs tElling thEm how to Do thEir joBs.
rECEntly, hE visitED long islAnD, whErE hE trAvElED through thE sAnDy FiElDs oF thE 30-ACrEDEEr run lEttuCE FArm oFBoB nolAn inBrookhAvEn with stEps.
mr. nolAn sAiD hE wAs initiAlly Anxious ABout thE nEw lAw But wAs now EAgEr to hElp thE AgEnCy mAkE it work For FArmErs. mr. tAylor wAs joinED By sEvErAl AgEnCy EmployEEs involvED in writing thE FArm rulEs, AnD mr. nolAn tolD thEm thAt hE hopED thE visit woulD hElp thEm BEttEr unDErstAnD how A FArm workED、
thE ComplExity oF thE F.D、A、’s tAsk BECAmE ClEAr As thE DAy wEnt on.At thE sEConD stop, A potAto FArm in rivErhEAD, thE ownEr jimmy zilniCki sAiD thAt hE knEw littlE ABout whAt thE govErnmEnt ExpECtED oF him.
"wE’rE All just trying to FinD out whAt this FooD sAFEty thing is All ABout," hE sAiD、BEsiDEs, hE ArguED, potAtoEs wErE A sAFE Crop AnD hE quEstionED whEthEr it wAs worth inCluDing thEm in rooD sAtEty rulEs.
mr. tAylor tolD him thE F.D、A、’s joB wAs to FoCus most oF its EFForts whErE thE FooD sAFEty risks wErE grEAtEst.
thE thirD stop wAs A 65-ACrE orgAniC FArm in rivErhEAD, run ByEvE kAplAn wAlBrECht AnD hEr husBAnD,Chris. thEy grow A Dizzying rAnk oF Crops, most oF whiCh thEy sEll DirECtly to CustomErs through FArmErs’ mArkEts AnD Buying CluBs.
thEy, too, hAD mADE Costly improvEmEnts with An EyE towArD FooD sAFEty, inCluDing BuilDing A lArgE proCEssing shED with A ConCrEtE Floor, trEAtED wAtEr, A BAthroom AnD rEFrigErAtED storAgE. thE nEw lAw rEmits (减轻,减免) smAll FArms thAt AvErAgE lEss thAn $ 500, 000 A yEAr in sAlEs AnD sEll mostly to loCAl CustomErs.But ms kAplAn wAlBrECht sAiD thAt hEr FArm Brings in too muCh monEy to quAliFy For thE ExEmptio