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ST. PAUL, Minn.

Fruits and vegetables will have one less food safety test starting in January

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You've probably never heard of the Microbiological Data Program but if you eat produce, it has made your food safer to eat.

It's a federally-funded monitoring system, about 10 years old, that tests fruits and vegetables for pathogens like E.coli or salmonella. And, by the end of December, it will be eliminated.

It's one of many programs being cut or consolidated under the Budget Control Act.

To discuss what it means for food safety when this program ends, is Fred Pritzker, a Twin Cities attorney who specializes in foodborne illness. He joins MPR's Cathy Wurzer by phone.