United States-Change at the USDA.

UNITED STATES-TIME FOR CHANGE AT USDA.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

believes that the two primary food safety agencies in the U.S., operated by the

FDA and the USDA, should be combined to better protect food supply, USDA

spokesman Jim Brownlee said Friday.

A major undertaking needs to take place to decide how to best go about the

combining of the food safety operations, Brownlee said.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is responsible for the safety

of meat while the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for most of the

rest of the food produced or imported.