Eat At Your Own Risk: Foreign-Made Food and Drugs

The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan were terrible, natural disasters with potentially far-reaching effects.  (Note:  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of these tragedies, and we  urge anyone who is able, to contribute to organizations and projects who are working to bring support and assistance to the victims.)  These disasters, which have resulted in the damage of nuclear reactors, and subsequent radioactive contamination of Japanese drinking water and the Pacific Ocean, also serve to remind us of the importance of knowing where our food comes from and what it contains.  Once an ocean is contaminated, not only its sea life, but the plants and animals who drink rainwater evaporating from that ocean, can become contaminated.  Combined with the inspection procedures of foreign-made food and drugs, consuming these products can be risky business.  Consider these facts:

Fact #1:  In recent years, American consumers and their pets have experienced health and safety issues relating to imported edible products, including melamine-tainted vegetable protein and dairy products, salmonella-tainted peppers and other contaminated fruits and vegetables,  contaminated toothpaste, and contaminated heparin (a blood thinner.) Some of these incidents have caused Americans and their pets to become ill or, in some cases, die.

Fact #2:  In February, 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it expected nearly 20 million shipments of food, drugs, cosmetics, and other products to arrive at U.S. ports of entry from foreign countries. (Ten years ago, that number was about 6 million shipments, and 20 years ago, the number of shipments was only a fraction of that.)

Fact #3:  Last year, the FDA had less than 500 inspectors to inspect those 20 million shipments; in other words, each inspector had to inspect over 40,000 shipments in one year.  Consequently, less than 1% of imported products and 8% of imported drugs got inspected.

Fact #4:  The FDA has been relying heavily on a border inspection program of foreign-made products that checks less than 2% of incoming food at the border.  Importers may flood the US market with substandard products because the FDA is unable to effectively prevent this from occurring.

     What can you do to protect yourself and your family?  Read labels and buy "Made in USA," "Baked in USA," and "Product of USA" fruits, vegetables, food products and medicines whenever they are available. Not only does this simple act contribute to the U.S. economy, and help to conserve and create U.S. jobs, but all, or virtually all of the ingredients in these products, must originate in the USA, and are put together in the USA according to USA standards. If a package or label doesn't state it, don't assume the product was made in the USA.  Many companies/brands will label products with US patent numbers, the company's US address, or the US address of the distributor, giving the appearance that the product was "Made in USA," when in fact, it wasn't.

Fact #5:  The previous Congress sought to improve the effectiveness of FDA inspections of foreign-made products by enacting new legislation, the FDA  Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), to dramatically increase inspections of overseas food facilities, hire new inspectors, and hold US importers more accountable. This bill never became law. The bill was passed in November, 2009, by the Senate, but not by the House.  At the end of each session of Congress,  all proposed bills and resolutions that haven't passed are cleared from the books. Members often reintroduce bills that did not come up for debate under a new number in the next session.

      Finally, to give a real-life example, I went to the produce department of a local supermarket the other day, looking for a 2-lb. box of fresh strawberries.  I gravitated to a familiar brand, "Driscoll's," with a bright yellow label, picked up a box of good-looking strawberries, and started to put it in my basket.  Then, I stopped and read the label -  "Product of Mexico."   My eyes scanned the shelves, and right next to those strawberries, I noticed boxes of strawberries with white labels and an unfamiliar name, *"Classic Dover."  These strawberries were the same price for the same 2-lb box as the other strawberries, and were just as good-looking.  I picked up a box and read the label -  "Product of USA."   There was also another sticker on the box that said *"Picked fresh daily by Mike Lott Family Farms."  Guess which strawberries I bought?

Sources:

http:  //www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/02/fsma-import-rules-may-foster-global-food-safety/

http://www.ombwatch.org/node/10777

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-510

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This week's recommended product:

Fruits and vegetables that are "Product of USA," including "locally grown" fruits and vegetables (as they come into season.) 
*The "Classic Dover" strawberries I purchased are a variety of strawberry typically grown in Dover, FL, and surrounding areas east of Tampa, FL.   Mike Lott Farms of Seffner, FL, is one of many strawberry growers in that area.  The farmers work very hard to protect their strawberries from frost and other adverse conditions, and their resulting beautiful and juicy strawberries are a large part of the local economy.

Previous recommendations:  Tom's of Maine, Inc. (www.tomsofmaine.com), The Ceramic Source (www.ceramic-source.com)