Imports and Food Safety
NPR's Morning Edition reports on the U.S. FDA's "tense dependence" on China's food imports. The piece provides a good overview of the challenges faced as food imports have increased (from $45 billion in 2003 to $64 billion three years later) while the "food" part of the FDA has decreased.
The Q&A at the bottom of the page with former FDA official William Hubbard explains how melamine got through the FDA's inspection system and whether consumers should worry about imports.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
3 Comments:
I happened to see somewhere - and this is slightly off topic - that someone proposed legislation that allows USDA regulations to preempt state and local with respect to engineered food. There's some concern (not sure whether it's founded) as to whether this will extend to other regulated products.
link here.
Take with a grain of salt, obviously.
Venkat at 1:16PM on 05/25/07
Thank you, Alaina Browne, for your post.
I hope that YOU do not get verbally chastised (by the “politically-correct” forces), as I perceived that I did, by calling the poisonous food/drug imports from China into question.
Frankly, I am still upset that someone would accuse me (a thinly-veiled accusation, at best) of being “anti-Chinese” for expressing concern about people being sickened and killed by imported food and drug ingredients from China.
This same person hinted that I was fabricating the “daily” stories about the problem(s) about imports from China. Actually, there are MANY stories EVERY day about the problem(s).
I appreciate that the “Serious Eats” has continued a dialogue about this VERY SERIOUS problem . . . whether it is “politically correct” or NOT.
Please excuse my somewhat heated passion on this subject. But I REALLY resent people poisoning U.S. citizens (or citizens of any other country) with their crap.
I REALLY resent someone insulting me for being concerned about the problem.
And, finally, I REALLY resent crooked, self-serving politicians who do little, if anything, to PROTECT the people who pay their damned salaries.
DocChuck at 3:05PM on 05/25/07
To the person (“shea”) who told me that . . . “(and for the record - free market and globalism rock!)” . . . and who told me that “And where are these daily reports? I've only seen a very few” . . . here’s ANOTHER one for you.
Let’s see, that’s several reports EVERY DAY, is it not, “shea”?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18872503/
http://www.aafes.com/pa/news/06news/moistureplus.htm
How much value do you place upon your vision, “shea”? How would you like to be blind, “shea”?
If being blind does not bother you, “shea”, go ahead and purchase some of this CRAP imported from CHINA and put it into YOUR eyes . . . or maybe into your CHILDREN’S eyes, “shea.”
Let your “free market and globalism rock!”, “shea”. Buy imported food and drugs from CHINA . . . and you MAY NOT be able to see “globalism” rocking.
I’m REALLY pissed, and I intend to do something about it, “shea.” ANYONE on this forum who puts ANYTHING into or upon their body, that comes from CHINA, is gambling with their life and with their well-being.
So, SUE me, CHINA!
DocChuck at 12:40PM on 05/26/07