Government scientists claim food industry interests block safety measures
The survey, carried out by Iowa State University on behalf of the Union of Concerned Scientists, obtained responses from 1710 food safety scientists and inspectors at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Food safety has come under particularly close scrutiny recently following the recall of more than half a billion shell eggs due to salmonella contamination. But this is just the latest in a spate of large-scale food product recalls, on the heels of others involving peanut products, spinach, beef and jalapeño peppers.
The survey found that 38 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that “public health has been harmed by agency practices that defer to business interests” and 27 percent of respondents claimed to have either frequently or occasionally personally witnessed “instances where the public health has been harmed by businesses withholding food safety information from agency investigators.”
The research also suggested that political interference can affect food safety data. Ten percent of respondents said they had frequently or occasionally been asked by agency decision makers to “inappropriately exclude or alter technical information or conclusions in an agency scientific document.”
And only 18 percent of respondents with advanced degrees at Masters level or above agreed that they were free to speak to the public and the media about their research findings.
In addition, agency staff were asked about their views on funding levels for the USDA and FDA. Nearly half (47 percent) of FDA respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that the agency has “sufficient resources to effectively perform its mission”, while 67 percent of USDA respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the same statement. The Union of Concerned Scientists hypothesized that this may reflect the much higher level of funding that the USDA receives to carry out its food safety activities.
Responding to the survey, the Grocery Manufacturers Association said in a statement: “A strong and genuine partnership between the food and beverage industry and FDA and USDA with the goal of protecting our food supply is in the best interest of public health. Both sectors – public and private – have a role to play in food safety…
“GMA supports food safety legislation that will make prevention the cornerstone of our nation’s food safety system and provide FDA with the resources and authorities it needs to effectively carry out its food safety mission in an ever-complex and global food environment.”
The full survey can be accessed online via this link.
