Lawmaker Says Lax Regulation Led to Outbreak

The recent salmonella outbreak will likely force the food industry to implement electronic record-keeping and other safeguards, according to one lawmaker. The probable adoption of electronic tracking records comes after years of industry pressure to relax regulations governing paperwork used to track produce that sickens consumers. The latest salmonella outbreak has sickened nearly 1,300 people in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Larry Margasak, San Francisco Chronicle 07/26/2008