Big Food System Failing Littlest Consumers

"This week's recall of infant formula is just the latest example of
how consolidation of our food system compromises food safety. The
industrial food system is too big--and now it is failing our littlest
consumers.

"The top four firms control two-thirds of the infant formula market.
While the FDA has slightly better rules on infant formula safety than
they do on other foods, the fact is that the more centralized our food
production is--whether it's eggs or infant formula--the more likely it is
that problems in one facility compromise a big chunk of the entire
market. The recalled Similac product was produced in a single
manufacturing facility but was sold in the U.S., Guam, Puerto Rico, and
countries throughout the Caribbean.

"This will hopefully serve as a wake-up call to parents. Often, the
food they buy for their families won't reveal itself as dangerous until
after it's consumed. The federal government must act to make sure that
no one company controls too much of any market, so when problems are
identified, they will not have already put millions of consumers at
risk."