The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a new blueprint for the Food Safety and Inspection Service - which will consolidate 15 district offices into 10 by the end of Fiscal Year 2013. However - Food Safety Under Secretary Dr. Elisabeth Hagen says the safety of the U.S. meat, poultry and egg supply won’t be diminished.
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Hagen says the consolidation effort is about improving technologies and customer service. Everything USDA does is about consumer protection - Hagen says - and the consolidation won’t put consumers at risk.