The current outbreak of food contamination from the Saintpaul strain of salmonella was first identified in New Mexico on May 21. Then, county health officials from across the country — relying on the memories of what people ate hours or days before — began to try to determine the cause of the contamination.

First, tomatoes were blamed. That shut down a substantial segment of the food industry, causing losses that could reach $250 million. Then, in late June, salsa became a culprit. Now it is jalapeno peppers.

To date, with this cumbersome and plainly ineffective tracking system in place, at least 1,256 people in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada have been sickened by Saintpaul salmonella. Two have died.

Contamination in the home remains the deadliest form of food poisoning. There are an estimated 76 million cases and 5,000 deaths annually in the United States. And only the American public can address much of this through better food handling in the home.

But the part of food safety that is beyond public control, such as the Saintpaul outbreak, is in need of revamping. Presently, 12 federal agencies are responsible for food safety. The largest responsibility falls on the Food and Drug Administration.

But FDA food inspectors examine about 1 percent of all imported foods, down from 8 percent in 1992. The Dallas Morning News recently reported that inspectors spend less than one minute examining each truck entering from Mexico, the second largest source for imported foods. Thus, it would be almost impossible to examine all the foods that we consume, though more inspectors clearly are necessary.

What is more practical is a tracking system that would allow federal and state agencies to quickly identify the source of contamination. Food producers have resisted this idea because of costs. But considering the amount lost in the tomato scare, they should rethink their position.

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