Health Care Reform Includes Food Safety
posted by: Ann Pietrangelo 317 days ago
Eight recent deaths due to salmonella bacteria in peanut butter may have been avoided, and point to serious flaws in our food safety net.
According the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's own website, its "review of the firm's testing records--which were not disclosed to FDA and state inspectors during earlier routine inspections--revealed that there were instances in 2007 and 2008 where the firm distributed product in commerce which tested positive for Salmonella."
When additional tests from a different lab showed negative results, the company continued to ship its product, jeopardizing the health and safety of consumers.
The outbreak has sickened more than 500 people throughout the United States and Canada so far, killing eight. News that the company responsible was aware that its products originally tested positive for the salmonella bacteria is distressing. That this information was not relayed to the FDA in its routine inspections is outrageous.
Our nation depends on the FDA to keep our food supply safe. While we can't expect a 100 percent guarantee on food safety, we can reasonably assume that products known to test positive for salmonella won't make it to our kitchen tables.
Currently, less than 1 percent of our food is inspected by the FDA. More inspections should be mandatory. In order for that to happen, the FDA must receive sufficient funding to do the job. Since 2004, the agency has lost nearly a third of its food safety and field staff. Currently FDA inspects US production facilities once every 10 years on average, and foreign facilities even less frequently.
While our country is pondering a major overhaul of the health care system, adequate attention should be given to the FDA. We've seen far too many food-product recalls in recent years---but only after illness and death have occurred.
Make no mistake about it. The safety of our food supply is a major health care issue. There are few needs as basic as protecting the food chain--before it's too late.
Visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website (www.FDA.gov) for news and information on their ongoing investigation and use their widget to see if products you're using contain salmonella.
Sign the petition to tell Congress that we need a major overhaul of the Food and Drug Administration.
According the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's own website, its "review of the firm's testing records--which were not disclosed to FDA and state inspectors during earlier routine inspections--revealed that there were instances in 2007 and 2008 where the firm distributed product in commerce which tested positive for Salmonella."
When additional tests from a different lab showed negative results, the company continued to ship its product, jeopardizing the health and safety of consumers.
The outbreak has sickened more than 500 people throughout the United States and Canada so far, killing eight. News that the company responsible was aware that its products originally tested positive for the salmonella bacteria is distressing. That this information was not relayed to the FDA in its routine inspections is outrageous.
Our nation depends on the FDA to keep our food supply safe. While we can't expect a 100 percent guarantee on food safety, we can reasonably assume that products known to test positive for salmonella won't make it to our kitchen tables.
Currently, less than 1 percent of our food is inspected by the FDA. More inspections should be mandatory. In order for that to happen, the FDA must receive sufficient funding to do the job. Since 2004, the agency has lost nearly a third of its food safety and field staff. Currently FDA inspects US production facilities once every 10 years on average, and foreign facilities even less frequently.
While our country is pondering a major overhaul of the health care system, adequate attention should be given to the FDA. We've seen far too many food-product recalls in recent years---but only after illness and death have occurred.
Make no mistake about it. The safety of our food supply is a major health care issue. There are few needs as basic as protecting the food chain--before it's too late.
Visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website (www.FDA.gov) for news and information on their ongoing investigation and use their widget to see if products you're using contain salmonella.
Sign the petition to tell Congress that we need a major overhaul of the Food and Drug Administration.
Read more: food, health, safety, recall, salmonella
comments
I think this Anne Pietrangelo is a paid government blogger. Her various topics all follow their agenda.
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why is this inappropriate?
The real cause is greed and agribusiness is the personification of that greed. The human population of this planet is more than the planet can sustain. Hence, agriculture has grown large to attempt to keep the human population going. The result has been the divorce of agriculture from the community with food being raised out of sight and out of reach of the first line regulators: the consumer.
And the situation was made worse by Reaganomics and the philosophy that industry -- and agriculture is an industry -- should regulate itself.
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why is this inappropriate?
I had salmonella bacteria 3 time,s in 2 years.I will never eat in a restaurants again.I was so sick.Iam now a vegetarian.I make all my food for myself and check it and wash and clean it.Iam very health now.
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why is this inappropriate?
You wanna know the true no-Brainer about this whole subject???
Think about it we are Humans need to eat to live without it or it's been contaminated will only Kill off the humans to which are needed to consume the food sold?
So Why is the FDA so not doing their Job? check their bank Accts; I bet someones somewheres will show who is responsible for poisoning America?
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why is this inappropriate?
The solution to food safety is to remove food from the regulatory responsibility of the FDA. There is no way that an agency can regulate drugs, from which most of its operating budget comes, and their single most effective economic competitor: food (including supplements and herbs).
In fact, food quality and safety are down regulated to satisfy Big Agribiz (which seeks lower standards to lower their costs), Big Biotechna (which has the green light on ALL genetically modified "foods" without ANY labeling allowed or safety testing permitted by the FDA as well as Big Pharma (which makes no profits from healthy people, but which is the single most productive industry on the face of the planet.
Reguation and inspection of food must be returned to the States in order to safeguard the American people.
For more information on the campaign to Divest the FDA AND the USDA of their Food Regulatory Responsibilities, please visit the Natural Solutions Foundation at www.HealtFreedomUSA.org and join the free, safe and private Health Freedom Action eAlerts.
To find out about the Natural Solutions Foundation's International Decade of Nutrition and the innovative and important Valley of the Moon Eco Demonstration Project in the Panamanian Highlands, visit www.NaturalSolutionsFoundation.org.
Yours in health and freedom,
Dr. Rima
Rima E. Laibow, MD
Medical Director
Natural Solutions Foundation
www.HealthFreedomUSA.org
www.Organics4U.org
www.NaturalSolutionsMarketPlace.org
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why is this inappropriate?
Adequate food inspection is essential, but the root cause of the problem will not be addressed by food inspection alone. Salmonella comes from animals not produce. Produce is exposed to Salmonella which causes the contamination in lettuce, fruits, peanuts etc. Better management of exposure to contaminants needs to happen further back in the food chain at the farm. Unsanitary conditions at factory-like animal farms are the root cause of the problem.
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why is this inappropriate?
Transportation of chicken ,meat and dairy by will call customers going to restaurants shouldn't be transported in a non refrigerated vehicle.
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why is this inappropriate?
Transportation of chicken ,meat and dairy by will call customers going to restaurants shouldn't be transported in a non refrigerated vehicle.
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why is this inappropriate?
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