Reinventing the programmatic and legal basis of food safety: The Wyoming experience

On March 13, 2000, the governor of Wyoming signed into law a comprehensive farm-to-table food safety statute. The new law collected all food safety re quirements into a single statute and consolidated food inspection activitie s in the Wyoming Department of Agriculture. A sweeping reform of state food safety programs eliminated the cumbersome patchwork of laws that legislato rs had been amending for a century. To accomplish this formidable task, Gov ernor Jim Geringer had authorized the formation of the Wyoming Food Safety Task force in 1997. The task farce comprised local, state, and federal gove rnment agencies; legislators; the University of Wyoming; and segments of pr ivate industry. Using a strategic-planning process to build consensus, the task force developed a new system that was unanimously supported. This unif ied approach contributed to the success of the legislative effort.