FDA Needs Food Safety Overhaul: Report

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The FDA is consistently so far behind in testing and advising on a large scale that a "total overhaul of the system is far overdue.Especially in today environment where a large portion
of America's food supply comes from other food producing nations.If most of us were more aware of JUST were this food comes from (meats,fruits,vegetables,seasonings and a huge
array of food[products)we would INSIST the government revamp and reorganize this system to top efficiency.
Our current FDA as a whole is a worn and tired system full of none producing supervisors and neglectful staff.Economic crunch or not the government needs to act NOW,not later, as has been the case far too many times in the past.
J Stubblefield

john stubblefield of TX 6:27AM August 27, 2010

FDA's lack of authority and resources for food protection is a surprise when you consider how many people can get sick so quickly. Children, the elderly, pregnant woman and people with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable. Most of the Federal money spent on food is subsidies to dump the worst of it in programs like school lunches to keep ConAgra happy and our children fat.
An increasing amount of food of all types comes from outside the US. If the Hurricaine Katrina didn't dump enough chemicals into the Gulf, now the fish and sea life in that area is dead, dying, or toxic. Even more seafood is going to come from China. Most of it is not inspected. Buyer beware!

AEC of MD 3:44PM June 10, 2010

The FDA and Dept. of Ag. think it'es alright to use (gMO ) Genetically modified organisims. It's poison injected in the seeds before it's even planted! The long term damage to a persons health is seriously at a harmful risk! The'yre not telling the citizens of this country that they"re knowinging deceiving, and and not informing the people of what they're injesting.

Marie of MI 10:12PM June 08, 2010

You've gotta check out this expose and online game about FDA-approved additives and technologies in your average cheeseburger or chicken dinner:
(Nothing like a game that steps you through FDA meat, poultry, and dairy food policy!)
http://www.baitandswitchtv.com/games1.html
http://www.baitandswitchtv.com/comedy2.html
Get the cow up to FDA / USDA standards by shooting it full of ****:
Antibiotics given to HEALTHY animals to fatten them up, (causing antibiotic-resistance in humans),
Engineered Hormones and estrogen-mimicking compounds (cause "he-men" burger-eaters can never get enough estrogen!),
Nitrites (preservative) that create a nitrite-induced salmonella-resistance brew in YOUR gullet from pepperoni pizzas and deli sandwiches/subs,
Carbon-monoxide (to make meats "appear" blood-red and fresh),
Ammonium,
Veterinary drugs,
Arsenic-based chicken feeds (Roxarsone),
Potential mad cow prions (because we test LESS than 1/10th of 1% of our cows for Mad Cow Disease, thanks to the FDA/USDA, which has banned the feeding of cows to cows but regularly allows the feeding of cows' blood and fat to pigs, chickens, and other cows),
Injected genetically-engineered e. coli bacteria in milk (BST/rBGH) to make normal cows that produce 5000 lbs of milk swell to produce 17,000 lbs of milk (and a lot of that milk contains PUS from the low-grade infection or inflammation caused by the genetically-engineered E.Coli bacteria which is BST--yumm),
Additional steroidal growth hormones to fatten food animals for profit maximization,
Irradiation to kill the E. Coli
Experimental cloning and genetic engineering technologies to test on YOU and your kids -- hey, ask not what you can do for big pharma and your country's oligarchy!),
GMO-pesticide-feeds (genetically engineered corn that is patented as a pesticide),
And the FDA's NO LABELING LAW which states that you do not need to be informed that you're eating cloned or GE food animals because they know what's "perfectly safe" and are always right
:-o
Plus, wait for it, the final ingredient in your delicious cheeseburger is (drum roll) good ole fashioned e. coli supergerms from industrial farming practices.
HOW DO ANY OF US KNOW WHAT'S TRUE (OR SAFE) ANY MORE WHEN WE HAVE INSTITUTIONS LIKE THE FDA?

Leewriter of CA 9:36PM June 08, 2010

I am a farmer and know that food safety is a huge issue in our nation. However, many of the steps taken to regulate our food supply at the farm level do not really keep customers safe as the food travels through many channels that the farmer cannot regulate AFTER it leaves the farm. For example, I can do my utmost to keep my apples free from any fecal/e.coli contamination but all it takes is one customer at a grocery store to leave the restroom with unwashed hands and handle my fruit in the produce section and it is contaminated after all my best efforts on the farm to keep it clean and safe. My thoughts are this - as often as you can - buy locally directly from a farmer that you know is careful about providing you with safe foods. The fewer the number of handlers in the food chain, the less likelihood of infection/contamination.

Katho of MI 9:21PM June 08, 2010

It seems ridiculous to try to inspect quality into the food chain, when proven technology exists to virtually eliminate bacterial risks. It's call irradiation, which can be done after food is packaged, making it clean until handled by the consumer.
Nuke any foods that can't be washed well (lettuce, spinach, etc) and any meats that prove likely to get e-coli or salmonella contamination (ground beef).
No, the industry does not want to spend the money. So?

Jon Smith of TX 9:14PM June 08, 2010

Medizone. Mzei. May have possible solution to this major problem

jarred of NH 9:12PM June 08, 2010

Medizone. Mzei. May have possible solution to this major problem

jarred of NH 9:07PM June 08, 2010

All food safety articles are poorly researched and know little about the system, federal employees make as much as $20,000.00 more than State employees doing similar work. Federal inspectors (CSOs) do not have to answer to the business owners, who employ local people and pay local taxes, the politicians, or the community. There is no repercussion or confrontation in their work. They write observations on site, return to their Office to type a clean report, and mail the report to the State and the firm. States are getting huge cut backs in salary and staff while the FDA hires away from States because they can provide higher salaries and security. The system does not work as a federalized system except for true INTERSTATE COMMERCE. All of us pay tremendous amounts of tax $$$ to the FDA to dabble in retail food issues, registries, conferences on retail food. Can someone apply a good investigative (as in cynical) reporter to this system? If you think of food illnesses do not add the USDA into this the outbreaks are on FDA's watch

b of MD 8:44PM June 08, 2010

Oct 11th 2003 Boston Globe "FDA warns of food terrorism"
We've known for years, yet people don't want to believe it. Place the blame where it should be.
Here's a project for you all : Google agroterror and Jim Monke. He went before Congress and you'll see an extensive paper on the State Dept. website on his warning and even Tommy Thompson admitted to having panic attacks over the fact that these people would using food borne pathogens to wreak havoc on our economy as well as undermine our "confidence" in the government..
Prophesy fullfilled? Or just something we choose not to see?

prickly pear of CA 8:29PM June 08, 2010