According to takepart.com, in an article posted just today in their food section, an entire year passed by before the FDA decided it was time to enforce the 2009 FSMA. This was most likely due to the traffic of political gain concerns. So while they were all trying to make sure certain politicians were in office and certain ones were not there were foods that were being recalled one right after the other in 2012 due to safety standards that were not enforceable. Now with two new rules the FDA is changing the way we process, grow and handle our food and even what we allow imported into the US food wise. New safety standards are being put into place that will protect Americans from food borne illnesses. Even though this will not guarantee a complete protection so that there are never any outbreaks of listeria, salmonella, e-coli etc.
The new rules and standards will make it much better. According to takepart.com, "The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act is a common sense law that shifts the food safety focus from reactive to preventative,” said Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services Secretary, in a statement." Old food safety rules placed the FDA in a position which allowed them to react to outbreaks of listeria, E-coli etc. but not in a position to prevent it. With growing concern over the safety of the food that is brought into the US as well as the food that is produced in our borders, this new law will hopefully change some of the problems. Although, we would be ignorant to believe that everyone will adhere to the new laws, some will.
High-profile, deadly outbreaks of tainted food mainly fresh fruit and veggies has led some Americans to wonder if our own food corporations are even inspecting places in charge of large scale food production. Such incidents as the Jensen Farms listeria-tainted cantaloupe, the infamous E. coli outbreak linked to fresh spinach that took place in 2006, and the widespread Sunland peanut butter recall that recently took place are all examples of what the US has been dealing with. Even places such as Trader Joe's Organic foods company has seen it's share of recalled food items in 2012. Don't let this change how you feel about the US food industries, they are still pushing GMO (genetically modified) foods into the consumer's lap, so they are not very concerned with your health as they may be with the money they loose where there is a recall.
When it comes to the safest food you can eat, that would be what you grow yourself. 2013 is here so why not make it a year to change how your family eats and start growing an organic garden, even if it is a small one!
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