Inspecting Our Way to Safer Food?

The Senate, this week, approved a bill that will require food manufacturers and farmers to use scientific techniques to prevent contaminated food from reaching our dinner tables.  It also indicated that the Food and Drug Administration would take a bigger role in the prevention of outbreaks and that the government’s response to outbreaks would be accelerated.  While these are all reasonable measures, inspections lead to penalties and punishment for those they find in violation. In an article I wrote for the Washington Post, I explain how penalties and punishment will NOT lead to safer food and offer some alternative approaches instead.