Lately, it's hard to avoid feeling just a bit nervous about the state of our country's food supply. The last few months have seen a number of outbreaks and recalls: There was, possibly, listeria in the mushrooms and salmon and cold cuts, there was E. coli in the sliced onions. Yesterday, several people in the office cried out in dismay when someone posted the news of a nationwide carrot recall (also E. coli). And the incoming administration doesn't inspire much confidence when it comes to food-safety regulations, either. So what is the average grocery-shopping and takeout-ordering consumer to do? Features writer Lane Brown has a modest proposal. If you're worried about food safety, he argues, there is one thing you should consider giving up: deli meat. Here, Lane uses the recent Boar's Head listeria outbreak as a case study to show how it might portend larger problems in the U.S. food supply to come.
—Joy Shan, features editor, New York
