Imported Food

Hey! So, this blog is different from my typical ones, but I saw this politcal cartoon, and I thought I would share it with you all! First of all, I apoligize - this is an outdated version of the food pyramid, but it makes an interesting point.

In the beginning of my Science of Foods class, we were discussing the differences between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safely Inspection Service (USDA). They are the two governement agencies that inspect the food in the USA. The USDA inspects meat, poultry, and eggs - overall they inspect 20% of the food supply, and get $930 million in funding. The FDA inspects 80% of the food supply that includes produce, processed food, and seafood. They deal with the majority of imported foods (i.e. China, Mexico, Canda, Chilie, etc) They ONLY get $509 million. Do you see the problem? Because of the FDA's lack of funding for such a large entity, they don't have enough manpower to do enough inspections. The FDA inspects only 1% or less of all imported food! For clarification that means less than 1 in 100.

When I heard that from my professor my heart stopped.. that is crazy scary to me. People are starting to realize the severe dangers in this, and lately there was a huge congressional hearing on it. We have been having huge problems with China, and I hope we step up and protect our health! There is a huge push to eat locally.. and I know it is expensive and I won't always be able to do it, but here is another reason to further pursuade us to!