The federal regulator of meat, poultry, and egg products, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), faces resource limitations that make it more difficult for the agency to ensure the safety of the food supply. From FY 1981 to FY 2007, the number of full-time employees at FSIS fell from 9,932 to 9,184 — a 7.5 percent drop. Despite robust funding increases in the 2000s, FSIS's staffing level has dropped nearly three percent during this time. FSIS's staffing is now at its lowest level since FY 1989. (See Graph.) (Click to enlarge) FSIS staff and resources become increasingly smaller when compared to the scope of the industry it regulates. Even though FSIS's budget has increased, the growth is dwarfed by the expansion of the meat and poultry industry. Of its appropriated funds, in FY 1981, FSIS spent $13.22 per thousand pounds of meat and poultry inspected and passed. By FY 2007, the figure had fallen to $8.26 per thousand pounds — a drop of almost 40 percent. When comparing the size of the meat and poultry industry to the size of FSIS's workforce, the drop is even more precipitous. In FY 1981, FSIS employed about 190 workers per billion pounds of meat and poultry inspected and passed. By FY 2007, FSIS employed fewer than 88 workers per billion pounds, a 54 percent drop. (See Graph.) (Click to enlarge) Meat, poultry, and egg product recalls have spiked in the 2000s. In 2001, FSIS announced 95 recalls of the products under its jurisdiction. In 2002, the agency announced 123 recalls. (See Graph.) (Click to enlarge) Although the number of recalls has declined since 2002, their severity has increased. Two of the three biggest meat recalls in U.S. history have occurred in the past four months. In October 2007, Topps Meat Co. announced the recall of 21.7 million pounds of ground beef used for frozen hamburgers due to E. coli contamination. At the time, the Topps recall was the second largest in U.S. history. The E. coli-contaminated meat sickened at least 40 people in eight states. On Feb. 17, Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. announced the recall of more than 143 million pounds of beef, the largest recall in U.S. history. The company announced the recall after an investigation by the Humane Society of the United States showed that nonambulatory (or "downer") cows were slaughtered and allowed into the market. Federal regulations prohibit companies from processing and selling meat from downer cows without explicit FSIS inspector approval because downer cows have a higher probability of being infected with mad cow disease. However, USDA officials say the health risks posed by the Hallmark/Westland beef are low. Read the article here.