If you’re like me, you’ve never thought much about baby carrots. At most, you’ve contemplated why they’re so small: Was it by natural design? Or was it something more heinous, like chemical mutilation? But the extent of your curiosity probably ends there. Until recently, I’ve never paid much attention to carrots, regarding them as a mere vehicle for hummus and not much else. But when dozens became sickened by carrots contaminated with E. Coli, I suddenly became fearful of those 4-inch orange sticks. What other innocent foods are Trojan horses for bacteria?
If you’ve been keeping up with the news, it may feel like there has been a bacterial outbreak involving food every month. This past summer, the deli meat company Boars Head recalled more than 7 million pounds of meat due to a deadly listeria outbreak. In October, frozen waffles were pulled from shelves nationwide after being linked to a potential listeria contamination. Less than a month ago, over 100,000 pounds of ground beef was recalled due to possible contamination with E. Coli.
Suffice to say, I’ve been concerned by the current bacteria frenzy impacting our food. I’m not alone in my skepticism about the current safety of food in the U.S. A recent Gallup poll found that Americans’ trust in government assurance of food safety is the lowest it’s ever been. This is understandable given that hundreds have been sickened and several have died from foodborne illnesses this year. For a country that purports to have one of the safest food systems in the world, these numbers certainly seem alarming.
There are a variety of causes behind foodborne illness, ranging from the improper handling of food to cross-contamination. But arguably, the biggest culprit behind the current downfall in food safety is an organization meant to protect our food: the Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA has been plagued by numerous bureaucratic failings, leading to inadequate, and at times dangerous, handling of America’s food. A Politico investigation into the FDA found the agency had consistently failed to address known health and safety issues in a timely manner. For example, the FDA has failed to take action on harmful pathogens in water — a source of some E. Coli outbreaks. The agency also has a track record of taking too long to report on bacteria outbreaks, failing in 2021 to recall contaminated spinach after it had already caused major outbreaks in 10 states. Even when the FDA has been alerted to specific safety concerns – such as a whistleblower reporting bacteria in infant formula – it has been slow to respond.
Numerous attempts have been made to reform the agency but with little to no success. The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 sought to implement various changes such as improving produce safety. Yet, the finalization of several regulations was delayed until 2016 or ignored altogether. Since the passing of the FSMA, the FDA has been sued multiple times due to its failure to properly enact the prescribed provisions. These errors are incredibly concerning for an agency tasked with regulating 78% of America’s food.
Though the FDA has attempted to rectify its lackluster execution of the FSMA by establishing the unified Human Foods Program, the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is expected to present new challenges to the agency. Trump told potential cabinet member Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaxxer and proponent of drinking unpasteurized milk, to “go wild” on food. While the extent of Kennedy’s involvement in handling the FDA remains unclear, Kennedy has promised to clear out entire departments within the FDA.
Though the FDA is certainly in need of change, Kennedy’s flavor of radical reform is not the best for protecting Americans’ food. One of the main things the FDA needs is increased funding. For decades, food safety experts have raised concerns over how chronically underfunded the FDA’s food oversight arm is. While it may seem counterintuitive to invest more in an agency doing a lackluster job, increased funding would likely improve food safety. Moreover, Congress should pass the Expanded Food Safety Modernization Act to improve transparency in our food system.
Grocery shopping shouldn’t be a game of Russian roulette — Americans deserve to have trust in their food. It’s time to address the flaws of the FDA and work towards creating a more appetizing agency.
