The overwhelmed FDA

Boston Globe ^ | 3 June 2007 | William Hubbard

[oblomov]

THOUSANDS OF pet deaths from spiked wheat gluten, raising fears that humans could be next. Millions of shipments of imported foods from China, Vietnam, and other developing countries flooding into the country each year with no inspection by US authorities. Repeated foodborne outbreaks often resulting in deaths and severe illnesses -- from US-produced spinach, sprouts, peanut butter, and other common foods. A plummeting drop in public confidence in the government's ability to protect our food supply.

The bad news about our food seems to keep on coming, and it all points to the inevitable conclusion that the Food and Drug Administration cannot provide the protections for which it was created. What has happened to this century-old consumer protection agency that has led the way in establishing a safety net for consumer products on which Americans have so long relied?

The most common thread in FDA's declining ability to carry out its responsibilities is a steady, debilitating drop in funding. The agency is simply overwhelmed by an ever-increasing workload, constant congressional demands to do more with less, and righteous indignation when the agency fails to meet unreasonable expectations.

[oblomov]

Not sure that the problem is underfunding of the FDA. At least part of the issue is the managed-trade treaties (called "free" trade by supporters and the MSM) such as GATT, which allow other countries standing to sue if there is perceived discrimination against their goods. This puts the US at a great disadvantage to other countries, since there is far more price transparency in the US than anywhere else.

The cost of safety testing should not be obscured in the general federal budget, but should be passed on directly to consumers. If food from China requires greater scrutiny, then a greater "safety assurance fee" should be applied to Chinese food products.

[ClaireSolt]

I once knew some of these inspectors. One was so highly skilled that he went from his gubmint job to selling funeral plans. A second inspected grain elevators for an insurance co, annually. He admitted that they would do as they wished, knowing it would be a year before he was back.

I doubt that beefing up the current bureaucracy with more money and people is the right approach to needed reform. The cost of drug approval process is a major factor in drug costs.

[ModelBreaker]

Big picture here. FDA has failed. The solution is to give it more money and power. Just as giving the education establishment more money year after year has fixed the deficiencies in our education system.

[sweetiepiezer]

ping

[traviskicks]

Why not just abolish the FDA...

http://www.neoperspectives.com/fda_tyranny.htm

[Zon]

If you want something done right -- competently and honestly -- don't ask the government to do it. 

The single most important purpose and responsibility of government is to protect the citizens and their property from the initiation of force from foreign and domestic sources. There's much room for improvement in the courts, police protection and national defense.

[canuck_conservative]

Because then, eventually, you get Chinese-style quality - every company just out to maximize profit, who cares about the consumer.

Inspections are a good thing.

[mom4kittys]

[Zon]

"The Agriculture Department currently regulates the test and administers it to less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows. The department threatened Creekstone with prosecution if it tested all its animals." http://www.neoperspectives.com/fda_tyranny.htm

Those darn for-profit companies don't know how best to protect their customers. So says the FDA.

[traviskicks]

Why would anyone buy a substandard product? Consumers would need to do a little research, the whole personal responsibility thing. And what company would knowingly poison their own customers (plus breach of contract = lawsuits)? Customer satisfaction is good for business, the two go together.

IMO, the FDA is killing far, far more Americans each year than ‘saving’. There is more information on this in that previous link I posted.

[oblomov]

Good site, and a great license plate.

Though a private food/drug safety and drug efficacy testing regime may have downsides, the benefits would far outweigh the costs.

I don’t think it could ever happen, not in my lifetime at least.

[Radix]

Interesting link. Thanks.

[Citizen Tom Paine]

Beginning with Nixon, government technical work was “contracted out” to private companies. This way the number of Government scientists in an agency could be reduced. The existing scientists became COTRs (Contracting Officers Technical Representatives) who primarily managed contracts for the agency. After about 5 years, the keen edge of their technical expertise was gone. More importantly, the government labs that could do the technical work were underfunded and their personnel were cut back. They could only perform tasks that were mandated in the Constitution. Consequently, an agency could not perform technically in most instances. This holds for FDA and NASA and some other agencies. DOD is a slightly different situation.

[NittanyLion]

If these problems with Chinese imports continue, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a Consumer Reports type company that tests and certifies imported food products.

[AntiFed]

I think another issue is the pure stupidity of the cases the FDA takes on for prosecution.

www.casewatch.org/fdawarning/prod/2005/seaquist.shtml

[tiki]

I guess we could give them a taste of American justice. We could write laws that they couldn’t sell here unless they lived up to all the regulations of the US and that consumers could sue and win judgements in US courts and their whole countries rights to send products to the US would be suspended until the judgement was paid.

[BlazingArizona]

Because then, eventually, you get Chinese-style quality - every company just out to maximize profit, who cares about the consumer.

The problem is that our inspections are now being carried out by a single federal agency. This performs just as would a single government agency producing the goods. If we replaced it with multiple, competing private inspection services, like Consumers Union or Underwriters Labs, we would get much better inspection coverage. If an inspector went corrupt or slacked off, others would be available to take its place. Right now the FDA has slacked off, and we have no right to choose other inspectors.

[lucysmom]

The solution is to give it more money and power. Just as giving the education establishment more money year after year has fixed the deficiencies in our education system.

I can't speak to the FDA, but I did work in the public school system - Through a series of budget cuts, I was doing by myself, the work that had been done 5 years earlier by 6 people. Fortunately the man who I reported to was very supportive when he got complaints about the time it took to get projects out.

[hedgetrimmer]

FDA has failed. The solution is to give it more money and power

Our politicians by approving GATT and NAFTA and the WTO are the failures. They have failed to protect the rights of citizens and our national sovereignty. Our federal institutions are not 'failing' per se, but are functioning on a model based on the concept of a nation state, where our politicians are operating on the premise that the nation state must be destroyed so that a global system (the falsely named "free trade", and international institutions) become supreme.

[khnyny]

You’re right.