A Taste of Wellness for Savoury and Snacks
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William T. Hawks, the US Department of Agriculture under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said recently that the idea of a single food safety agency in the US is unlikely to occur in the near future, reports Meatingplace.com
Hawks briefed a small group on the progress made throughout the department in the areas of food safety and homeland security, including the idea of a single food safety agency.
"A single food agency is not a viable option now. We're working across government agencies on issues,"he said.
Hawks said that he is working very closely with Elsa Murano, the under secretary for food safety, to improve worker safety, food safety, protect U.S. borders and ensure emergency preparedness.
By the end of 2002, Hawks said that there should be a 40 per cent increase in personnel and efforts for inspections that occur at the nation's borders.
Hawks stressed that the need to work with the individual states on all food security issues was great: "We're working to strengthen our relationship with the states because the USDA can't do it alone,"he said.
The USDA has granted $2 million (2.25 million euros) each to 32 states to improve their security measures.