SCIENCE BRIEFING

In the wake of the salmonella outbreak, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue has signed a bill that would make the state the first to require food makers to swiftly alert state inspectors if their internal tests show products are tainted.

The proposed food safety regulations would require the food processors to report the results within 24 hours. Perdue says it will help “guard the safety and security of our food supply from bad actors.” The proposal moved rapidly through the Georgia Legislature after the salmonella outbreak that was traced to a south Georgia peanut processing plant. The outbreak sickened about 700 people and may have caused nine deaths, officials say.