Lawmakers decry FDA plans to close labs

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Lawmakers decry FDA plans to close labs

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 59 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Importers have learned to evade close
federal scrutiny of the food they ship into the United States,
putting consumers at increasing risk, congressional
investigators said Tuesday.

Lawmakers also criticized the Food and Drug Administration's
plan to close half of its laboratories. They called that idea
misguided and questioned whether it would save money and
enhance the agency's ability to target unsafe food, as FDA
commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach said it would.

-snip-

An Energy and Commerce Committee investigation found the
FDA now has little ability to police imports. In San Francisco,
for example, the FDA's staff can conduct only a cursory
review of imports, generally dedicating just 30 seconds to
each shipment as it flashes by on a computer screen,
according to investigators.

Even when products are flagged by the FDA, importers have
learned to game the system, investigators said. For example,
the FDA relies on results obtained from private labs before
clearing and releasing suspect imports, including Chinese
farmed seafood. But those labs produce results driven by
financial rather than scientific concerns, investigators told
the subcommittee.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070717/ap_on_he_me/fda_food_safety_11

[SpiralHawk]

1. Want clean food for your family? Join a CSA

If you are trusting the republicon cronies to protect the sanctity of the food you and your family are eating, you are deranged.

Via corruption and incompetence, republicon corporations and government bureaucrats cannot be trusted by anyone with common sense -- and the food they proffer also cannot be trusted. I suggest looking into CSA.

"Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) offers a way for every human being to be directly involved in the care and healing of the earth, while also ensuring a supply of clean, healthy food for their families and their neighbors."

http://www.chiron-communications.com/farms.html

[prole_for_peace]

2. how does closing half their labs "enhance" their ability to target

unsafe food? that doesn't make any sense but it IS the fda and not much the do makes any sense to me.

[BootinUp]

4. Not knowing the details

I would guess they plan significant investments to upgrade the remaining labs. If so its possible they could automate tests that are done with less sophisticated equipment. If not, it makes no sense at all.

[tom_paine]

3. Hey! Labs lead to science lead to thinking and thinking is the enemy of the Bushevik!