The government has been shut down for nearly 2 weeks now. However, with all the hype and news of this current shutdown, I see one major issue not being talked about much. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has furloughed HALF of their employees…which means half the work is being done on inspecting our food. Let’s be honest, even when the FDA is operating in full capacity, there are still many, many food problems that still happen. This is scary. And until Congress get their act together – the FDA has suspended food safety inspections.
What is and isn’t being inspected right now?
- “There are 626 total FDA investigators excepted and reporting to work, and 976 who are furloughed,” Steven Immergut, the FDA’s assistant commissioner for public affairs, said in an email on Tuesday. “These investigators work across the agency portfolio, not just on food products.”
- “During the lapse in appropriations, FDA will not be conducting routine domestic or international inspections of food facilities,” Immergut said in the email. This means that those inspectors who normally will do in-plant inspections, both domestically and abroad have stopped.
- There are 700 employees who are regulating 300 ports of entry in the United States – those inspections are still going on.
- Meat, poultry, and egg inspections will continue, but according to a Department of Health and Human Services memo, the majority of FDA food inspectors have been deemed nonessential.
UMMM, are you worried yet?
Which foods are the biggest concern?
The biggest concern right now is IMPORTS. Since there are currently no foreign food inspections going on, this poses a HUGE health risk for foodborne illnesses. However, you can still protect yourself. The Center for Science has a great article on the 10 riskiest foods regulated by the FDA. Now would be a GREAT time to learn which ones those are and avoid them.
10 Riskiest Foods and Their History of Outbreaks:
- Leafy Greens – 363 outbreaks, 13,568 reported illnesses
- Eggs – 352 outbreaks, 11,163 reported illnesses
- Tuna – 268 outbreaks, 2,341 reported illnesses
- Oysters – 132 outbreaks, 3,409 reported illnesses
- Potatoes – 108 outbreaks, 3,659 reported illnesses
- Cheese – 83 outbreaks, 2,761 reported illnesses
- Ice Cream – 74 outbreaks, 2,594 reported illnesses
- Tomatoes – 31 outbreaks, 3,292 reported illnesses
- Sprouts – 31 outbreaks, 2,022 reported illnesses
- Berries – 25 outbreaks, 3,397 reported illnesses
What should I eat right now?
Local Food from Local Farms – search for local meat from local farmers. Search for free-range eggs and poultry. Don’t eat any fruits or vegetables that are from another country. I wouldn’t trust much else right now…even organic labeled foods aren’t being inspected properly. Go to Farmer’s Markets near you. Look up sources for local food on Local Harvest or Eat Wild. Look on Craigslist for local farmers…research!
Wild Caught Seafood – The percentage of imported seafood is…brace yourselves…91%! Hello…91% of all our seafood is imported! That is un-friggin-believable. DO NOT EAT ANY SEAFOOD that is imported right now! NONE. Look in your grocer for WILD-CAUGHT seafood and check your canned tuna/salmon for it’s origin…as well as frozen seafood.
NOTHING from the 10 Riskiest Foods list unless you have grown it yourself or purchased it from a trustworthy source. Oh, and FYI – these were the 10 riskiest foods BEFORE THE SHUTDOWN! Can you imagine how terrible they could get right now?
NOTHING imported PERIOD.
Even though meat, poultry, and eggs are being inspected, they are still threats to our health. Kirkland Rotisserie Chicken had a Salmonella outbreak 2 days ago! Foster Farms had a Salmonella outbreak last week! The workload of inspections on the functioning FDA workers that aren’t furloughed is enormous. They cannot keep up. I would not even buy storebought chicken, meat, or eggs right now.
Conclusion:
It’s a hard road ahead of us, but I do believe, that this may be good for Americans. We need to be more aware of what we are eating and I think this is a wake-up call. Most Americans don’t care where our food comes from…as long as it’s at the store when we need it. Our health is at risk, friends, and it’s time for us to wake up.
Grow some food. Raise some livestock.
Buy local.
Look at the source.
And then hug your local farmer who is giving you peace of mind during this government shutdown.
Sources:
- https://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/08/20873175-routine-fda-inspections-of-food-facilities-suspended-due-to-government-shutdown?lite
- https://www.dailyfinance.com/on/10-riskiest-foods-avoid-while-fda-inspections-shut-down/#!slide=1263992
- https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/11/fda-shutdown_n_4086299.html
- https://www.fishwatch.gov/farmed_seafood/outside_the_us.htm
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