My considered analysis regarding food safety in the U.S. is this: It’s an unmitigated disaster.

Salmonella in peanut butter made by a single manufacturer causes deaths, sickness and the recall of thousands of different products from store shelves. Over 10 million pounds of beef have been recalled since President Obama took office. Indeed, the ongoing food-safety crisis that is industrial ground beef inspired NYT writer Michael Moss to win a Pulitzer.New strains of microbes like the deadly E coli O157:H7 and antibiotic-resistant salmonella—bugs that didn’t exist 30 years ago—raise the stakes as high as they can be. With food safety laws more or less unchanged since the 1930s, the long overdue push for reform seemed, compared to other legislative priorities, easy.