Some 5,000 Americans die and 325,000 are hospitalized annually as a result of food contamination. Earlier this year, the House reached unusual bipartisan consensus on the most sweeping reform of the food-safety system in at least 50 years. The bill could give the Food and Drug Administration new powers to regulate food at the farm level and review corporate records on activities ranging from processing to pathogen-testing. Eat up, America.
Even in tough economic times, science doesn't stop. The past year was another in which we got a lot smarter and maybe a little healthier. Here are some highlights