An interesting story in today's New York Times solves the mystery about why more Minnesotans seem to become sick in foodborne illness outbreaks compared to residents of other states. It's not the poor quality of the food they eat but rather the high quality of the state's food safety system.

Minnesota, the newspaper reports, is more diligent than other states at investigating complaints of food-related sickness. This diligence has helped people not only in that state but across the nation.

"If not for the Minnesota Department of Health, the Peanut Corporation of America might still be selling salmonella-laced peanuts, Dole might still be selling contaminated lettuce, and ConAgra might still be selling dangerous Banquet brand pot pies—sickening hundreds or thousands more people," the newspaper reported.

Unfortunately, policing the food safety system has been left to an assortment of local, state and federal departments, most of which are underfunded. Consumers Union is an advocate for stronger measures and believes that consumers have suffered far too long from risky and unsafe food due to our antiquated food safety laws and lax enforcement.