Join Health Affairs for a virtual conversation between me and Angela Odoms-Young of Cornell University discussing the evolution of US food and nutrition policy, the current policy landscape, and thoughts on what lies ahead. It’s at 1:00 p.m. EDT. To join the Webinar, click here.
Happy new year: Top food safety crises of 2008
Bill Marler, of the legal firm specializing in food safety cases, lists his top 10 picks for the food safety scandals of 2008, beginning with globalization and ending with pet food.
And Food Chemical News (December 31) says the FDA will be testing for melamine in farmed fish and fish feed from China. When Hong Kong officials said they found melamine at 6.6 ppm in fish feed, the FDA wondered whether melamine could accumulate in fish tissues. Apparently, that is exactly what it does. The Los Angeles Times (December 24) says FDA testing found whopping amounts of melamine – 200 ppm – in catfish, trout, tilapia and salmon that had eaten melamine-tainted fish feed. This is way higher than the maximum “safe” level of 2.5 ppm in food. So put fish from China on your list of what not to eat.
Let’s hope the new president picks someone for USDA undersecretary and FDA commissioner who takes food safety seriously. That’s my wish (well, one of them) for the new year. Peace to all.