Farm Forward

According to a new federal report, food safety complaints about meat, poultry, and egg products jumped nearly 40% last year.

This comes after USDA cut 18% of its workforce in the first half of last year, with the Food Safety and Inspection Service (the agency responsible for placing inspectors in slaughterhouses and processing plants) lost about 9% of its staff. That's about 775 employees the agency isn't expected to get back.

During that same period, the agency oversaw a recall of 58 million pounds of corn dogs, investigated un-inspected beef tallow products, and responded to 7 multi-state foodborne illness outbreaks, four linked to Listeria that resulted in about 250 illnesses and 140 hospitalizations.

The administration also dissolved two key food safety advisory committees and shelved years-in-development salmonella standards for raw poultry that would have kept the most dangerous strains off store shelves.

Cutting the people who kept our food safe has consequences. This is what happens when food safety becomes a budget line.

Read more here:

After USDA Cuts, Complaints Over Food Safety Spike Complaints filed about the safety of meat, poultry and eggs rose by nearly 40% last year.