Loophole prevents discovery of Salmonella outbreak’s origin

Food safety experts have made a connection between this year’s Salmonella outbreak and a flawed Bioterrorism Act, which was enacted in 2002. The act was intended to allow officials to easily respond to food-related crises by holding importers, processors and distributors accountable to keeping track of where they purchase produce and where it gets distributed. But officials have not been able to pin down the origin of the Salomella bacteria, as repacked boxes of produce are not required to include their state or country of origin. As a result, consumers and lawmakers are asking for stricter laws that would “track the entire history of food products,” something the FDA does have the authority to do. Full story: Seattle Post-Intelligencer