Who knew?

The industry pressured the Bush administration years ago to limit the paperwork companies would have to keep to help U.S. health investigators quickly trace produce that sickens [and kills, you shitheads] consumers, according to interviews and government reports reviewed by The Associated Press.

The White House also killed a plan [oh, it's plans that are metaphorically killed, and not people. Fucking Village] to require the industry to maintain electronic tracking records that could be reviewed easily during a crisis to search for an outbreak's source. Companies complained the proposals were too burdensome and costly, and warned they could disrupt the availability of consumers' favorite foods.

The apparent but unintended consequences of the lobbying success: a paper record-keeping system that has slowed investigators, with estimated business losses of $250 million. So far, nearly 1,300 people in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada have been sickened by salmonella since April.

Under pressure in 2003 and 2004, the White House agreed to dilute record-keeping proposals by FDA safety experts

Here is the list of the corporate criminals*:

Participants in the meetings included companies and trade groups up and down the food chain, including Altria Group Inc. and Kraft Foods Inc., when Altria was Kraft's parent; The Kroger Co.; Safeway Inc.; ConAgra Foods Inc.; The Procter & Gamble Co.; the American Forest and Paper Association; the Polystyrene Packaging Council; the Glass Packaging Institute; the Cocoa Merchants' Association of America; the World Shipping Council; and the Food Marketing Institute.

Thanks, guys. Can I take it as read that all our products are potentially poisonous?

But, of course, Compromise is always good:

Tommy Thompson, who was health secretary during the industry's lobbying campaign, acknowledged that a more robust food-tracking system — opposed by business groups as too expensive — could have helped stem the current illnesses and business losses.

"We went in with the larger package but knew we had to compromise," Thompson told the AP. "I was satisfied with this being the first step. It's always better to be a Monday morning quarterback. We could have ended up with nothing. If we had more, would it help the situation now? Yes."

Funny. Tommy Thompson's mad negotiation skillz are exactly the same as Obama and HCAN't on universal health care. They're negotiating with themselves -- and not for us -- and as a result they've sold us out before they even sat down at the table.

NOTE * Sure, they're criminals. They're causing people to get sick and die for money. That's not criminal? If not, why not? Not that being a criminal in the Village these days is anything other than a resume-enhancing life experience.