Katie Couric's Notebook: Bad Food
Video: Is our food safe? We asked this question in a series this week, and the answer is troubling.
After today's news that a salmonella outbreak infecting hundreds has been traced to peanut butter, it comes as no surprise that our food safety system is broken.
It's a deadly problem.
Last fall, four died from an E. coli outbreak tied to packaged spinach tainted with animal waste.Yet when the FDA tried to trace the source of the E. coli, it took weeks just to find the farm.
If that's not scary enough: terrorists know our food is an inviting target. Counterterrorism officials say our food chain is "one of the most vulnerable," "least protected parts" of this country's infrastructure. It's tempting to fault the FDA, but that agency lacks money and resources. The real responsibility lies with Congress and the president.
Isn't it time for this country to put a higher priority on food safety? I think our families are worth it.
That's a page from my Notebook.