You might want to think about going vegetarian and eating in for the foreseeable future. Why? Sequester cuts to the federal budget will impact the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And the USDA recently reported that its meat inspectors will have to take furloughs to make up for the steep cuts to its budget.
That doesn’t mean your meat won’t be inspected, but it does mean that inspectors will have less time to do it. Less time means fewer inspections and slower meat production. All that adds up to higher meat prices, fewer options and shortages in your favorite steak.
And with recent stories like horse meat being found in tacos and food-borne illnesses occurring even when the USDA is working at full capacity, what’s in store for us? Under the sequester there are 2,100 fewer inspections, about a 10 percent cut. One thing we know for sure: the furloughs and inspection cuts are unavoidable.
To add fuel to the sequester fire, implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act will be halted. The act is intended to the shift the focus in food safety to preventing food-supply contamination instead of just responding to it.
On Tuesday night, March 19, Bill Marler, an attorney who specializes in food-borne illnesses, will join Michael Shure in “The War Room” to talk about the impact the sequester will have on food safety. Tune in to Current TV at 6E/3P to learn what Marler has to say.
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Watch “The War Room” Mon.–Thurs. nights at 6E/3P.
