On Aug. 22, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that cantaloupes from Chamberlain Farms in Indiana are being recalled because of Salmonella contamination, which has infected 178 people in 21 states, causing 62 hospitalizations and 2 deaths.

In the Oct. 12 edition of The Watcher, we highlighted the multi-state listeriosis outbreak as an example of the high stakes of food safety regulation. Linked to cantaloupes from Colorado-based Jensen Farms, the deadliest foodborne disease outbreak in a decade has now killed 25 people. This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report from an investigation conducted in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that reveals some of the factors potentially contributing to the listeria contamination.

Discussions of government transparency often involve cover-ups, shady dealings, or attempts to reveal official wrongdoing. Sometimes, though, it's about what government does right: when federal agencies produce valuable information with taxpayer dollars, it should be open so that the public can use and benefit from it.