Two U.S. senators from Kansas and Missouri say an emphasis on protecting the nation's food supply has waned since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and it's time to make the issue a priority again.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri, and Sen Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican, met Friday with government, education and private officials involved in ensuring the nation is prepared to protect food, agriculture and livestock from terrorism and infectious diseases.
McCaskill and Roberts stressed that the nation's food supply is still the safest in the world and they were not reacting to any imminent threat. But Roberts, who leads the Senate Agriculture Committee, says the nation and media's focus often shifts to other problems and it's important to "ramp up" agriculture protection efforts again.
