E.C. Pasour Jr.

About the author: E.C. Pasour Jr. is a professor emeritus at North Carolina State University, at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The private sector, particularly the meat industry, is better equipped than the government to inspect food. Consumers should not rely on the government to ensure food safety because its regulations are often flawed and ineffective. Market regulation is a superior option, since it provides a financial incentive to private inspection firms and meat companies. If a private firm conducts ineffective inspections, or a meat producer sells contaminated meat, that company will suffer financially. Firms are thus encouraged to ensure the production and sale of safe meat in order to attract customers.

Nineteen-ninety-seven's news reports of tainted beef focused public attention on the safety of the meat...