Where some see conspiracy, others see redundancy.

The Washington Post reports Congress is poised to scrap funding for the Microbiological Data Program in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

USDA officials have suggested that the initiative would be a better fit for the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates vegetables and fruits. But that agency lacks the money needed to marshal more inspectors, and there’s no sign that the program will be moved there.

Mike Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods, tells the Washington Post today there’s so much more that goes into the safety of produce.

And that starts on the farm.

Testing is a way to verify that food safety programs are working, but on its own, don’t mean much. There is lots of testing that goes on. Make it public, make the testing data part of the marketing of produce; market food safety.