Pork Chops Melamine, It's What's For Dinner | 34 comments (34 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Pork Chops Melamine, It's What's For Dinner (none / 0)

Just surfing around...I found this, from February this year.

Federal auditor calls for massive reform to food safety system

The current federal system for food safety regulation is fragmented, ineffective and inefficient and needs to be fixed, according to a report by the General Accounting Office (GAO).

Another area the GAO targets for reform is in the sensitive area of food recalls. The agency noted that recalls are voluntary and federal agencies responsible for food safety have no authority to compel companies to carry them out. The exception is infant formula, which the FDA has the authority to force a recall.

"These agencies do not know how promptly and completely companies are carrying out recalls, do not promptly verify that recalls have reached all segments of the distribution chain, and use procedures to alert consumers to a recall that may not be effective," the GAO stated.

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Wed May 2nd, 2007 at 07:39:27 AM EST
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Re: Pork Chops Melamine, It's What's For Dinner (none / 1)

Like I said, there may be evidence that the system is not working, but the 1.3% sampling rate is not it. Declining sampling rates, ineffective recalls, etc, that I can go with.

Bush is a symptom, not the disease.

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed May 2nd, 2007 at 07:43:50 AM EST
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Re: Pork Chops Melamine, It's What's For Dinner (none / 0)

Well, okay. But I think your insistence on the 1.3% is a red herring. I think what the author meant was: "They only look AND DEAL WITH 1.3% of what's coming through the ports."

If they looked at 1.3%, extrapolated out and uses that to deal with ALL products coming through the port (and I'm not sure how they'd do that without closing down the port for a few weeks and checking through every last producer--supplier-shipper-buyer chain--whatever the order is--so that the extrapolation turned into a real regulatory process)...then, really, they're checking 1.3% of throughput and blocking the percentage of the 1.3% (which I read is about 16%) which is fails FDA controls in some way.

That's what I've understood so far.

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Wed May 2nd, 2007 at 07:49:03 AM EST
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Re: Pork Chops Melamine, It's What's For Dinner (none / 0)

Coz, ya know, I'm just doing a bit of googling, but my "internal narrative" (my prejudice) tells me that contaminated food...is cheaper...makes more money...and the health of people...is a secondary consideration. So: I is no expert, but what I've found so far confirms my prejudice (Republicans increase funds to fight wars against drugs and belief systems; they reduce funds to fight wars against health risks to US citizens...that kinda thing.)

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Wed May 2nd, 2007 at 07:52:45 AM EST
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Re: Pork Chops Melamine, It's What's For Dinner (none / 0)

..though when I write "Republicans"..I dunno. "Corruption"--corrupted individuals in positions of power sounds more like it.

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Wed May 2nd, 2007 at 07:53:39 AM EST
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Re: Pork Chops Melamine, It's What's For Dinner (none / 1)

The declining percentage of imports controlled could also be explained by the development of Quality Assurance certification like ISO 9000 standards. In that case, products and processes are inspected and certified at the manufacturer's production site under very strict rules.

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

by Melanchthon on Wed May 2nd, 2007 at 08:03:00 AM EST
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Re: Pork Chops Melamine, It's What's For Dinner (none / 0)

Do you think they sample chinese factories too? (The same rules would therefore apply.) My suggestion is that we are seeing the deliberate reduction of standards due to...the lust for higher profits. My bet: the companies shipping the contaminated foodstuffs are...owned by people with lossa money, including (but not only) americans.

Hence your good point re: REACH.

Recently, the European Union has adopted some of the world's strictest policies on e-waste and potentially hazardous chemicals.

http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/2006-07/06-074.html

Does it also regulate foodstuffs?

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Wed May 2nd, 2007 at 08:11:57 AM EST
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Re: Pork Chops Melamine, It's What's For Dinner (none / 0)

Sorry, hence Miguel's good point re: REACH.

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Wed May 2nd, 2007 at 08:12:47 AM EST
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Re: Pork Chops Melamine, It's What's For Dinner (none / 0)

I think this is the original GAO report.

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/useftp.cgi?IPaddress=162.140.64.21&filename=d07449t.txt& amp;directory=/diskb/wais/data/gao

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Wed May 2nd, 2007 at 07:44:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]