Egg Recall: Scrambling the Facts about Regulation

Diane Katz / August 30, 2010

It’s rather ironic that the activists who routinely lament government’s failure to protect public health are among the most vociferous proponents of expanding government powers. This month’s massive egg recall, involving more than 500 million eggs from two Iowa farms, is but the latest example.

The recall, initiated August 13, was prompted by a dramatic spike in cases of salmonella enteritidis documented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From the time the news broke, blame for the salmonella outbreak has been widely attributed to “deregulation,” with a variety of consumer groups demanding stricter government oversight of the food industry in general and shell eggs in particular. (more…)