Food illnesses prompt FDA to examine produce safety system

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Typified by last year's spinach and Taco Bell food-borne illness outbreaks, more people are getting sick more often due to tainted produce - a trend the government wants to reverse.

The Food and Drug Administration convened for the second of two hearings Friday to discuss the overall safety of produce. Industry representatives, consumer actions groups, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and representatives from several food safety associations offered possible solutions.