Obama Administration Puts A Hold on Food Safety

Imports make up 91 percent of our seafood, 60 percent of our fruits and vegetables, and 61 percent of our honey. Most of these imports come from  countries that lack any effective health and safety regulation. China which has had a seemingly endless run of food safety scandals  and yet supplies 50 percent of our apple juice, 80 percent of our tilapia, and 31 percent of our garlic.

Vietnamese farmers are known to send shrimp to America in tubs of ice made from bacteria-infested water; and Mexican laborers are often given filthy bathrooms and no place to wash their hands before gathering onions and grape tomatoes for export. Despite the obvious risks of adulteration and contamination

The Underfunded Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected only 2 percent of food imports and just 0.4 percent of foreign food facilities in 2011. Import-related outbreaks—like the 81 people sickened by Mexican cucumbers just a couple months ago—have become even more frequent in recent years. The FDA receives its budget from the USDA.The USDA keeps 80% of the money for itself leaving the FDA an inadequate funds to do its job

In January 2011, President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), to help the FDA do its job. Two and a half years later, only two proposed rules have been released—one on produce safety standards, and the other on preventive controls for human food.

The FDA has drafted three other proposed rules that could significantly improve the safety of imports, but they are currently languishing at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), an office inside the White House which is blocking, weakening, and delaying the rules that it reviews.

First Rule

Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) rule was due January 2012 Still stuck in ORIA the rule would make food importers responsible inspecting the overseas facilities and periodically test the products shipped to the US.   

This rule would hold food importers liable for verifying that their foreign suppliers have adequate measures in place to prevent adulteration and contamination. In other words, U.S. companies that buy food products made in overseas facilities would be responsible for inspecting those facilities, periodically testing their shipments, and evaluating the supplier’s written safety plans. Any company that imports food without having an adequate. any importer who did not do there job would face penalties.

This would have made Townsend Farms whose berry mix sickened 122 people responsible for making sure the berries were grown and processed in a safe manner,  

Second Rule

Accreditation of Third Parties to Conduct Food Safety Audits was due july 12

This rule would set standards auditors who would inspect overseas and domestic food producers. Third parties would be able to train and certify auditors. The FDA would decide who to inspect based on these audits. Presently the auditors don’t do a good job and the system is not working. Thirty people died from cantaloupes 6 days after an auditor gave them a grade of 96 out of 100.There are presently no rules regulating the training of auditors. there are no rules as to what they have to cover in there inspections.

In order for the third-party certification program to have any value, the FDA must issue a strict set of standards, and exercise rigorous oversight of both accrediting bodies and auditors.

Third Rule

Preventive Controls for Animal Feed (Including Pet Food)

This rule is similar to the first rule except that it is for pet food

The OIRA was taken to court for  to speed them up. The judge gave them to 2015 to finish with these three rules. Sense under law ORIA is supposed to get their reviews done in 90 days I can’t understand this ruling. In the United States 3700 people die due to foodborne diseases each year. How many will die before ORIA gets off their ass. Sense our congress can’t agree on laws to pass I would think the ORIA would have plenty of time to work on food safety.   

The only thing that makes any sense to me is that food companies do not want to pay the expense of inspecting overseas suppliers. Sense the Congress will not properly fund the FDA, the FDA has to pass the responsibility onto the importers or just let people get sick.

In his confirmation hearing last week, President Obama’s nominee for OIRA Administrator, Dr. Howard Shelanski, emphasized that one of his highest priorities would be ensuring the “timeliness” of OIRA’s reviews. In My opinion the best thing that could happen is if OIRA was abolished.

Source Food Safety News