How safe is your food?
If what you’re eating was imported from another country, there is a good chance it was not inspected by the Food and Drug Administration, the government agency charged with the task of ensuring food safety.
Last year, FDA officials physically inspected only 2 percent of all food-related imports into the United States, a story on msnbc.com reports. This year, the FDA expects to examine even less — only 1.59 percent of all imports, according to the Office of Regulatory Affairs.
Food imports are coming into the United States at growing numbers — 24 million shipments of FDA-regulated goods are expected to flood in this year, an increase of 18 million more from 10 years ago. And critics like the Government Accountability Office maintain that the FDA is not up to the inspection task because it lacks the staffing power.
While the FDA began adding inspectors to its staff two years ago, the 1,800 it now has will not keep up with the rate of imports, the website reports. As a result, much of what is imported goes unchecked.
To read the complete msnbc.com story, Go Here.
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