Tony Corbo, the senior lobbyist for the food campaign at Food & Water Watch, wrote an insightful article on the measures that the United States is taking to monitor imported food. Among some of the more eye-opening revelations of his piece:

-only 1.53% of imports are physically examined by the FDA.
-imported produce is three times as likely to be contaminated with pathogens like salmonella
-imported produce is four times as likely to have pesticide levels that exceed US standards

Ironically, the same bill, H.R. 2749, that calls for more stringent rules on organic farmers that may restrict the production of local produce will lead to greater protection for the imported food supply. While it is admirable to watch the food coming into the ports, shouldn’t there be more measures to increase local organic produce than spend billions policing ports to inspect the produce of other countries?

What’s your take? Post in our comments section.

Tags: food safety imports, food safety laws, HR 2749, imported food FDA, imported food pesticides, salmonella produce

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