"There Are Certain Things Only Government Can Do": Barack Obama's Rhetoric on Food Safety and the Role of Government

In January 2011, President Barack Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law, representing the most significant upgrade to U.S. food safety laws since the 1930s. In this essay, we explore Obama's rhetoric on food safety by analyzing his remarks prior to and directly following the passage of the FSMA. As a collection, these texts offer insight into Obama's reinterpretation of the role of government. Obama's pragmatic rhetoric on food safety demonstrates how the issue of food safety can be used to argue for a broader and more responsible role of government writ large.