MSNBC:
The Food and Drug Administration may be the only federal agency that both political parties agree is in desperate need of an overhaul.
Tony Corbo: The Safety of Imported Food?
Of the 9.5 million shipments of imported food items that will arrive at our ports-of-entry this fiscal year, FDA inspectors will physically examine only 1.53% of them.
Obama Announces FDA Chief Pick, Outlines Food Safety Measures
Obama names FDA chief, announces new food safety panel: Scientific ...
Obama picks FDA chief, starts food safety panel | Reuters
FDA chief to leave post when Obama takes office | Health | Reuters
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As sick as America has been, we know this by now. Every year there's a recall of some food.
As soon as the first Republican Governor gets food poisoning then they'll blame the Obama administration for not staffing the FDA.
Nice try trying to blame republicans--but you might want to take a look at congress. there aren't enough of them to block anything democrats want to do. They have absolute power. Find someone else to blame.
So why aren't those in the so-called main stream media writing about this story every day?
I guess the type of toe nail clippers used by the President is more important.
...but it is so easy to stereotype gov't workers, deflecting attention from all the banks, Wall Street,etc. The con job is hidden by another con job. Bright, informed public, heh?
Better WASH with Soap ALL those Fruits and Veggies (a bunch come from Fluish Mexico)
WHAT ME WORRY?
Bush gutted The FDA and and almost every other government agency, let's not forget they've already killed more Americans than al-Qaeda with their VIOXX scam alone10,000 dead and another 100,000 heart attacks...!
The FDA needs to be reformed and restaffed from top to bottom...and must do it's own independent tests once again as well..not take the industries word for everything..as they do...
and they can lay-off trying to ban vitamins and supplements too.
welcome to the wonderful world of deregulation folks !
bon appetit !!!!
Fanned for excellent , succint post.
1% of all batches is different from 10% of 10% of all batches (still 1% of total but leaves 90% of all batches uninspected). 1% of all batches would probably work out fine. It's not like they are going to assign a taster for everyone's dinner table.
Problem is that as I understand it, the FDA inspects closer to 100% of 1% of batches (they open up a very low percentage of shipping containers, and then they put the contents through rigorous testing)
We regulate more what goes into dog food than what goes into our or our kids bellies.
Eat beans America needs the gas..
With the money we've given to the banks surely health care and food inpsection and all those other government programs will benefit. I'm sure the banks will solve all our everyday problems.
Lovely. Quite a few of these Chinese buffets use food products prepared in China. Enjoy!
The tea parties are OK. You boil the water to make tea. Just avoid the cookies, especially those with peanuts; then, cut expenses and eliminate all food inspection.
All sorts of government inspectors have been cut back or handicapped to indulge business. For example, the United States was one of the first places that mad cow disease was indicated in Marshfield Wisconsin back in the 1950s. Now, we are assured that there is NO such disease in our country, AND there is a law forbidding food "libel." Pharmaceuticals are investigated by the drug makers though they are tracked so that particularly lethal medicines are eventually pulled from the market.
Imported foods, not only from China but from Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America, are toxic in a variety of ways. Aside from disease germs, they are grown with chemicals outlawed in the United States. Don't get me started on what it takes to get a product outlawed in the United States.
What really can be done about a system so badly broken?
Yea blame McConnell. Repubs just don't care.
how long have we heard that the fda was not up to snuff???....years.
Democrats have a solid majority in both houses. Reublicans can't block these nominations.
Find someone else to blame for this administration not being able to find staff.
Don't you people get it? The MARKET is going to fix everything. In this case, unfortunately a couple hundred people or so will have to die or become severely ill, but on the upside, some people will become RICH!
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First Posted: 04-25-09 09:59 PM | Updated: 05-26-09 05:12 AM