How safe and credible?

A reader submitted this indictment of the USDA in the comment box on the blog:

In light of the Topps recall the amount is equal to roughly 84,000,000 hamburgers. The USDA continues to spin its irresposibility by promoting that impression we should learn to live with these occasional outbreaks because the US has the safest meats in the world which is an out-right lie. Many European countries have much stricter standards and enforcement as well as a better safety record. This is why we must always call into question the "facts" and "figures" the that department tosses out to dodge responsibility. The USDA is not a model to follow in food safety or honest reporting.