David's exactly-right. And the reason the FDA will always be a joke (have I mentioned that I think they should be 100%-defunded lately?) is: they don't have any competition, so there's no incentive for FDA bureaucrats to do anything besides keep their jobs. This is the kind of job the NYT loves as much as people like me hate it, because it's a pro-big-government constituency almost by definition so of course they'd naturally want more-bureaucrats just as much as I want 100%-defunding. Any good chef is, like David, deathly-afraid of contaminated food anyway, and he protects his customers because he knows he's out of business if they don't return for any reason. It's likely if the FDA disappeared tomorrow, David's habits would not change substantially, if at all, but I can't speak for him, obviously...
JMR

I think there are many instances (think Enron) where corporations are willing to risk exposure for the almighty buck. Liberals don't think 'stuff' happens, conservatives do. Liberals think corporations are much more concerned about the 'bottom line' than they are about laws and regulations. How many Pintos had to blow up before Ford did anything? In 2000, Kraft Foods recalled taco shells that contained StarLink, a type of genetically modified corn that was approved for animal consumption but specifically disapproved for humans.

Conservatives have jumped on this issue because it gives them a chance to slam government. Look at the original question posed earlier, would you rather have government doing oversight on corporations or would you rather wait for 'stuff' to happen and then gleefully report a drop in stock prices?

You ask how government would have prevented two e-coli outbreaks. My thought is there would have been tens, maybe hundreds, more outbreaks if there was NO government oversight. Liberals want government oversight, fools think that corporations will ONLY do the right thing OR that government can catch EVERY incident. But, it is better to catch 90 percent than none at all.

Why do you have such blind faith in business and a passionate hatred of government?

Why do conservatives think government is so evil? Especially in the United States where you can vote (a real vote, not a monetary one). I don't even come close to the idea that government is the answer to everything. But, what I notice at this site, as well as other conservative sites, is that business is seen as the savior of us all. Sorry, but that is not true. Government is as good as the people who participate in it, as employees and as voters. If government is evil, it is the fault of the voters. If government is too invasive, it is the fault of the voter. If government is not doing it's job, it is the fault of the voter.

Conservatives are more concerned on the 'bottom line' of a corporation than they are about how that bottom line was achieved. This issue is a good example. Don't correct what failure occured that caused this e-coli outbreak, the market will take care of it. Well, it may be that a few people may die, but the market is good.

And, how does one fight the corporation? Taco Bell didn't grow and package the onions (if that is what caused it). So, do you punish Taco Bell or the grower? Who else does the grower supply? Your grocery store? My son's school cafeteria? I don't know and I don't want to wait for my son to get sick so the corporation will correct it's ways AFTER it takes a hit on Wall Street.

Government isn't good or evil. It is what WE make of it.