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Iowa egg producers were at the heart of a salmonella outbreak that resulted in more than 550 million eggs being recalled last year. It's the kind of incident that makes state officials feel like they have to do something.
So they did.
Under the departed Culver administration, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals drafted legislation to give the state more oversight of egg producers. It's unclear whether the new governor and the new head of inspections will go along.
They should leave this one on the shelf.
Ensuring a safe food supply falls largely to the federal government, and it should.
Food production and distribution is huge and complicated, crossing state and international borders. An egg laid in Iowa or honey collected in China or lettuce grown in California can end up in anyone's belly anywhere in the world.
States going it alone with regulations risk creating a hodgepodge of rules that may vary from state to state. It could lead to confusion for producers and consumers. It could eventually tempt states to loosen regulations to attract producers - a sort of race to the bottom in safety standards.
Just before the salmonella outbreak last year, long-awaited federal regulations on eggs went into effect. The FDA now has more authority over production facilities. It's not yet clear exactly how the new federal food safety law - and specific provisions for egg safety - will be implemented. These relatively new changes must be understood and given time to work before Iowa makes more changes.
As much as state leaders feel compelled to ensure a safe food supply, it's a job best suited for the federal government. It has the reach to impose uniform requirements and ensure a level playing field in all states. And a federal approach makes the most sense going forward.
"One of the things we don't talk about enough is we've got a world population that continues to grow. We're going to have to feed those people," said Kevin Vinchattle, executive director of the Iowa Egg Council, which represents industry. He said the FDA considers eggs the least expensive source of high quality protein. "That is hugely important. You don't want people to have to pay any more than they have to to feed their families."
That bigger picture reality underscores the role of the federal government, not states, to be the main player in food safety.
It's also a reminder that while state officials may see it as their responsibility to impose safety standards on a specific industry, doing so sets a precedent and expectation for the future. Does it become a state's obligation to crack down on an industry whenever there is a problem? Can the state afford the potential costs of more enforcement responsibilities?
Iowa produces more than 14 billion eggs per year. Along with other food industries, this state truly does feed the world. Producers here are sorting through the new federal guidelines that seek to strengthen the safety of the food supply.
Iowa should focus on getting that right before imposing even more changes.
So they did.
Under the departed Culver administration, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals drafted legislation to give the state more oversight of egg producers. It's unclear whether the new governor and the new head of inspections will go along.
They should leave this one on the shelf.
Ensuring a safe food supply falls largely to the federal government, and it should.
Food production and distribution is huge and complicated, crossing state and international borders. An egg laid in Iowa or honey collected in China or lettuce grown in California can end up in anyone's belly anywhere in the world.
States going it alone with regulations risk creating a hodgepodge of rules that may vary from state to state. It could lead to confusion for producers and consumers. It could eventually tempt states to loosen regulations to attract producers - a sort of race to the bottom in safety standards.
Just before the salmonella outbreak last year, long-awaited federal regulations on eggs went into effect. The FDA now has more authority over production facilities. It's not yet clear exactly how the new federal food safety law - and specific provisions for egg safety - will be implemented. These relatively new changes must be understood and given time to work before Iowa makes more changes.
As much as state leaders feel compelled to ensure a safe food supply, it's a job best suited for the federal government. It has the reach to impose uniform requirements and ensure a level playing field in all states. And a federal approach makes the most sense going forward.
"One of the things we don't talk about enough is we've got a world population that continues to grow. We're going to have to feed those people," said Kevin Vinchattle, executive director of the Iowa Egg Council, which represents industry. He said the FDA considers eggs the least expensive source of high quality protein. "That is hugely important. You don't want people to have to pay any more than they have to to feed their families."
That bigger picture reality underscores the role of the federal government, not states, to be the main player in food safety.
It's also a reminder that while state officials may see it as their responsibility to impose safety standards on a specific industry, doing so sets a precedent and expectation for the future. Does it become a state's obligation to crack down on an industry whenever there is a problem? Can the state afford the potential costs of more enforcement responsibilities?
Iowa produces more than 14 billion eggs per year. Along with other food industries, this state truly does feed the world. Producers here are sorting through the new federal guidelines that seek to strengthen the safety of the food supply.
Iowa should focus on getting that right before imposing even more changes.
