Food System Flaws

In a recent audit of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), the USDA’s Inspector General found that AMS graders approved contaminated eggs. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had already discovered salmonella-contaminated eggs from Ohio Fresh Eggs, but more than 270,000 of the 280,000 the eggs received USDA approval. According the audit, the graders were unaware of the salmonella-positive test, because neither the FDA officials or the Ohio producer informed them. A recall took place in November of last year, and the contaminated eggs are believed to be responsible for more than 1,000 illnesses.