U.S. Senator Herb Kohl wants the federal government to improve food safety. The Wisconsin Democrat says there are growing concerns about the safety of produce in the nation's food supply. Kohl says produce faces very limited inspections, if it's checked at all before going to stores.
The Senator wants federal officials to increase funding for inspections and establish protocol for dealing with outbreaks from tainted produce. That could include establishing response teams to track down any outbreak of tainted food, and then control the problem.
Kohl says the need for new rules became clear after recent outbreaks, such as e-coli tainted spinach and green onions. He says the largest obstacle to improving food quality will be obtaining more federal dollars since the FDA's food inspection budget has remained stagnant over the past several years.
Kohl hosted a Congressional hearing on food safety Monday in Verona.
AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (MP3 1:10)
