Federal officials are examining proposals to tighten security on the U.S. food supply, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.

Bush administration officials are considering consolidating federal food inspection responsibilities under one agency. The Times reported that about a dozen agencies currently inspect food, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Agriculture Department, the Customs Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“For security enhancement, we ought to at least take a look at whether or not we need to merge functions, merge agencies,” said Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge.

Ridge’s comments echoed other signals of the administration’s growing interest in consolidation, the Times reported. U.S. President George W. Bush voiced support in his election campaign, and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has repeatedly voiced concern about the food supply.

U.S. lawmakers also are considering proposals to enhance security for the nation’s food supply. Provisions in a new Senate bioterrorism bill would provide an additional $500 million for food safety, tighter requirements for food processors and greater authority for federal food regulators (Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 24).

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