WQOW TV: Eau Claire, WI NEWS18 News, Weather, and SportsWis. ag secretary: Food safety now a big priority
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Associated Press - May 18, 2009 11:35 AM ET
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The federal government is making food safety a high priority after scares involving salmonella in peanut butter and spinach and, in China, melamine in milk.
That's according to Wisconsin agriculture secretary Rod Nilsestuen. Nilsestuen was in Washington, D.C., last week for a meeting of President Barack Obama's new Food Safety Working Group.
He says the federal government is looking to improve the food safety system and three major bills are pending in Congress to address the issue.
Nilsestuen says he sees a need for better communication between the 13 federal agencies that oversee food safety and state governments that handle most inspections and investigations.
He also says state and local governments need more money for food safety.
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