None should be exempt from responsibility. If Safeway, Costco, Walmart, etc. are faced with sanctions for not properly vetting their suppliers, the system would improve without, perhaps, the high cost involved with major increases in governement inspection protocols.

Because of your extensive blogging, commentary and the creation of “Food Safety News,” you have created a genuine magic wand—the power of YOUR pen.

Your list completely overlooked the fact that without good performance by our regulators—local, state and national—food safety will remain only a mirage. Unless regulators are also held accountable, the food safety regulatory system will always be corrupt.

As you well know, the case of Montana Quality Foods clearly demonstrated that regulators were not being held accountable in 2002 - 2004. I see no evidence of significant positive change since.

Instead, since then there has been clear evidence of shoddy work in the 2006 spinach outbreak, the 2008 salmonella tomato/pepper fiasco and, now, in the egg recall.

Instead the FDA's damage control apparatus changed the focus to matters that had little if anything to do with what happened.

Name one food safety regulator who was been held accountable this century!

Accurate, in-depth reporting by “Food Safety News” that continues to carefully monitor regulator’s performance on an outbreak over the months and years that follow it will journalism doing its job. Then, as “the worms come out of the woodwork,” “Food Safety News can catch them and, then, hold them up for all to see.

One of the best ways to do this is to support whistleblowers in print.

The primary rewards for those of us who have blown the whistle on regulators are retaliation and substantial to disastrous financial loss.

Fortunately, once again, Bill, your genuine magic wand can make a huge difference for whistleblowers. First, you can make certain their stories are heard and see the light of day by publishing them. Second, “Food Safety News” can establish the John Munsell Whistleblower Award which "FSN" will give out whenever it sees someone whose work for healthy food (not just safe food) merits substantial recognition.

Bill, I hope you will use your genuine magic wand.