US food safety regulations are out of date, report says

Food safety regulations in the United States are out of date, inflexible, and erratically enforced. Federal and state criteria on food safety that were developed over decades in response to different problems and concerns need to be linked to specific public health goals, and new criteria should be established on the basis of the latest scientific data and methods, says a report from the US Institute of Medicine. “Our scientific knowledge is emerging faster than the regulatory system. There is need for flexibility in drafting and enforcing the regulations,” said Dr Samuel Earl …