16 Jul, 2009
Food Safety Regulations Watered Down As Congress Debates
Posted by: Dina Eliash Robinson In: Food Safety|Public Safety
Fact: Food contamination alerts and recalls are increasing by leaps and bounds.(Books: “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan; “Recipe for America: Why Our Food System is Broken and How We Can Fix It” by Jill Richardson, etc.)
Cause: This is due in large part to industrialized farming practices that make it impossible to catch tainted items produced in one place before they are combined with products from other sources and widely distributed. To a lesser degree, it is caused by the proliferation of toxins sprayed on, or added to foods, and by exposure to contaminants.
Spin: The food industry claims that the proliferation of food alerts and recalls is due to improved monitoring and detection techniques—not to the deteriorating inspection and quality control systems that endanger the U.S. food supply. (If you believe this, there’s a bridge I’d like to sell you.)
Congressional Action: While intended to stem the frequent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses and deaths caused by salmonella, E. coli and other contaminants in the U.S., the proposed food-safety regulations currently being debated in Congress are too weak, easily circumvented and seem tilted in favor of the Agricultural Industrial Complex.
Consumers Beware: Head off alerts and recalls by checking frequently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) and other web sites (Google “food safety” and “food recalls”) for warnings—such as the ones in the enclosed box.
