"We are doing everything we can to protect the food supply. And I can tell you that we're making decisions based upon sound science and good public policy, given the circumstances that we are now in"
About this Quote
The sentence is built to do two jobs at once: calm the public and immunize the speaker from whatever comes next. “Doing everything we can” is the classic maximum-effort pledge that quietly avoids measurable commitments. It signals urgency without offering a yardstick that could later be used against the agency if shelves empty or contamination spreads.
Veneman’s real anchor is legitimacy. “Protect the food supply” frames the issue as national infrastructure, not a bad batch of lettuce. Then she pivots to the twin seals of approval that modern governance leans on when trust is fragile: “sound science” and “good public policy.” Those phrases aren’t evidence; they’re credentials. In crisis messaging, science becomes a rhetorical asset as much as a method, a way to telegraph competence to people who can’t personally verify the data.
“Given the circumstances that we are now in” is the tell. It widens the frame and lowers expectations. Circumstances imply constraints: incomplete information, competing risks, pressure from industry, the limits of inspection systems, the speed of pathogens, the speed of panic. It also preemptively explains why the decision might feel imperfect or why guidance could change tomorrow. The line leaves room for reversals without admitting uncertainty outright.
Contextually, this kind of language blooms in moments when government must project steadiness while managing variables it can’t fully control: outbreaks, contamination scares, supply disruptions. The intent isn’t just reassurance; it’s to keep markets, consumers, and political stakeholders aligned long enough for the machinery of response to catch up with the story.
Veneman’s real anchor is legitimacy. “Protect the food supply” frames the issue as national infrastructure, not a bad batch of lettuce. Then she pivots to the twin seals of approval that modern governance leans on when trust is fragile: “sound science” and “good public policy.” Those phrases aren’t evidence; they’re credentials. In crisis messaging, science becomes a rhetorical asset as much as a method, a way to telegraph competence to people who can’t personally verify the data.
“Given the circumstances that we are now in” is the tell. It widens the frame and lowers expectations. Circumstances imply constraints: incomplete information, competing risks, pressure from industry, the limits of inspection systems, the speed of pathogens, the speed of panic. It also preemptively explains why the decision might feel imperfect or why guidance could change tomorrow. The line leaves room for reversals without admitting uncertainty outright.
Contextually, this kind of language blooms in moments when government must project steadiness while managing variables it can’t fully control: outbreaks, contamination scares, supply disruptions. The intent isn’t just reassurance; it’s to keep markets, consumers, and political stakeholders aligned long enough for the machinery of response to catch up with the story.
Quote Details
| Topic | Food |
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