pet connection

The Wall Street Journal has been strangely quiet during the whole food-import mess, apparently thinking that covering the food-industrial complex isn’t much of a priority. That continues to this day, with this story (subscription required, sorry) placed inside the front section:

The Food and Drug Administration is likely to propose a major shift in how it inspects and regulates imported food, as Americans continue to devour vast amounts of imported, and sometimes exotic, food.

The goal is to shift to a “risk-based” system under which FDA inspectors, using extensive information, would focus on shipments posing the biggest potential hazards. To do that, the agency could collect more data from overseas on how foods are produced and handled — called “life-cycle” data — and feed it into a database for its inspectors.

Under the new approach, countries and private businesses — including foreign manufacturers, importers and U.S. manufacturers using imported ingredients — might be required to provide the FDA with more information about the production, packaging and transportation of imported foods.

Currently, critics say, FDA inspectors are expected to block tainted imports but often get little information indicating which imports might be dangerous. Over the past 10 years, the number of imported food items has tripled while the FDA’s food budget has stagnated. As a result, only 1% of food imports are physically inspected.

“The shift is to be more proactive, to put more focus on prevention,” said David Acheson, the FDA’s assistant commissioner for food protection, who is working closely with FDA Commissioner Andrew Von Eschenbach on a new plan to improve safety of both imported and domestic food. Details aren’t settled, but Dr. Acheson said he expects to propose a safety plan in the next two months.

The plan, which hasn’t been finalized, is likely to include several elements from a 2002 FDA blueprint that has been lying dormant in the agency for five years, according to current and past FDA officials.

I guess “proactive” is back to the “word of the day” at the FDA. So great, show us the proactive.  Mostly we’ve seen reassurances and CYA.

And by the way, interesting how this was framed as a problem with Americans’ quest for “exotic” food. If the last few months have shown us anything, it’s not the consumer quest for “exotic” that’s the problem, but the rather the quest for “cheap” ingredients that’s the concern. Unless maybe you consider melamine to be “exotic.”

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Interesting reads: The Atlantic has a special edition on China, with the centerpiece by James Fallows on manufacturing. “China Makes, the World Takes:  A Look Inside the World’s Manufacturing Center Shows That America Should Welcome China’s Rise—for Now.” (You can read it online if you’re an Atlantic subscriber; otherwise, get the mag.)

I’ve just started digging into the issue, but can already tell it’s a thoughtful and important read. One of the quotes from an American businessman in China will truly make you cringe. He gloats that he can work his young Chinese employees long hours for little pay, and there’s “no nonsense” like having to leave to pick up the kids. What a jerk. 

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