Analysis of FDA Import Refusal Reports 1998 to 2004

3catkidneyfailure

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Analysis of FDA Import Refusal Reports 1998 to 2004

« on: September 09, 2008, 02:10:26 PM »

http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib39/#2008-9-9
Food Safety and Imports: An Analysis of FDA Import Refusal Reports
By Jean C. Buzby, Laurian J. Unnevehr, and Donna Roberts

Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-39) 47 pp, September 2008
This report examines U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) data on refusals of food offered for importation
into the United States from 1998 to 2004. Although the data do not necessarily reflect the distribution of risk in foods,
the study found that import refusals highlight food safety problems that appear to recur in trade and where the FDA has
focused its import alerts, examinations (e.g., sampling), and other monitoring efforts. The data show some food industries
and types of violations may be consistent sources of problems both over time and in comparison with previous studies of
more limited data. The three food industry groups with the most violations were vegetables (20.6 percent of total violations),
fishery and seafood (20.1 percent), and fruits (11.7 percent). Violations observed over the entire time period include sanitary
issues in seafood and fruit products, pesticides in vegetables, and unregistered processes for canned food products in all
three industries.

... because the data span a 7-year time frame, the analysis also provides insight into where persistent failures in
food safety management potentially appear in international food production, processing, and trade. ...

Let's see where to begin a critique on this. Data, 1998 to 2004, published 2008. No country of origin identified. That's
a start. Sources of adulteration and adulterating chemicals not specified.

I guess at this point my question is why is the FDA so secretive about naming names, brands, manufacturers, producers
so that what information it does gather is almost completely useless? From what legislative authority does this
policy eminate? Does anyone know?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-06-30-3719577774_x.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0112-08.htm


« Last Edit: September 09, 2008, 02:55:53 PM by 3catkidneyfailure »	Logged

catbird

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Re: Analysis of FDA Import Refusal Reports 1998 to 2004

« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2008, 02:46:38 PM »

I have several speculations:

1. The report was edited into nothingness before being published--that is, all the specific info was edited out.
2. This was done to avoid "offending" big businesses (who are really the people in charge in this country IMO)
3. They are producing this now, after it has been buried on someone's desk for years, because someone is saying, "What the heck has the FDA been doing about these problems?"
4. It's a work of fiction, because they were told they had to produce a report, had been asleep at the switch, and had to concoct something.

JMHO--no evidence for any of this, except my own observations of government bureaucracies, where I have seen such actions repeatedly.


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3catkidneyfailure

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Re: Analysis of FDA Import Refusal Reports 1998 to 2004

« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2008, 03:01:45 PM »

Edited to add: I posted those two URLs above after catbird's comment.

I guess the answers are pretty obvious, between industry lobbying and political control of information.

Maybe a better question is aside from FOIA requests and spending endless hours searching the confusing
and ridiculous FDA website and sub-websites, has anyone found any good online sources that do keep
tabs on FDA activity? (aside from one of our monitors, of course Embarrassed

) Share, please, if you have them.

I've about exhausted the Google Alerts possibilities for "~" and FDA. So whatever you've found, put it out
there.


« Last Edit: September 09, 2008, 03:10:32 PM by 3catkidneyfailure »	Logged

catbird

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Re: Analysis of FDA Import Refusal Reports 1998 to 2004

« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2008, 04:18:13 PM »

Well, it looks as though, reading the links, the articles are just saying pretty much the same things I did in my speculations, only in a different way.


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petslave

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Re: Analysis of FDA Import Refusal Reports 1998 to 2004

« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2008, 05:45:32 PM »

Good we can review the lists ourselves and see right off who the offending countries are!

I think those same forces are the ones that are preventing stronger control and monitoring of those countries. Not that there is anyone left to do that since it's all one big megacorporation now.


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