Food Fright

You say in your editorial (Food Fright, May 28th., 2007. A10) that "the pet food companies have suffered devastating losses because of the government's failure to regulate food imports rigorously."

Yes, they have suffered losses but due to their own ineptitude. Any firm that does not rigorously inspect its inputs and its outputs deserves to suffer losses when contaminated inputs end up in their outputs.

I am no enemy of big government but we need to be clear that the main government focus should be on food that directly enters the food chain -- fruit, vegetables, etc. That is food that individuals cannot be expected to monitor for purity. On the other hand, food that goes to processors should be monitored by those processors subject, of course, only to back up, less intensive, inspection by the government.

Of course, as is the case here, if the processors fail in their duty to engage in rigorous inspection then government inspection will have to be increased.


Sent to Boston Globe