2 years ago
Food is not a high priority at the Food and Drug Administration.
A monthslong POLITICO investigation — based on more than 50 interviews — found that drugs and other medical products dominate food at the agency, both in budget and bandwidth. Over the years, the food side of FDA has been so ignored and grown so dysfunctional that even former FDA commissioners readily acknowledged problems. There's a long running joke among officials: The "F" in FDA is silent.
The dynamic has only been exacerbated during the pandemic. The FDA regulates nearly 80 percent of the American food supply, and each year — according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — more than 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 people die from foodborne illnesses.
We published a deep dive into the agency's structural failures, lack of action to prevent major produce outbreaks and slowness to try to make food healthier. We encourage you to bookmark it and read it in full.
In the meantime, here are four top-level takeaways.
1.
The food division has structural and leadership problems
What we found: Aside from the lack of attention to food at the top, there are also unique problems within the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the branch that handles food issues. The division suffers from a deep-seated culture of avoiding hard decisions and a near-paralyzing fear of picking serious fights with the food industry.
A Trump-era change in leadership structure set up a power struggle between the two top officials, further strengthening the status quo of inaction. The agency is adrift without leadership and currently plagued by turf battles.
Why this matters: The friction makes it extremely difficult to make decisions or move policies forward. The setup is also confusing for those trying to work with the agency. Who is actually making decisions?
Where to read more: Check out the "IT’S A STRUCTURE THAT’S DESIGNED TO FAIL" section of the story.
2.
Congress asked FDA to regulate water to keep deadly pathogens out of produce. 11 years later, it still hasn't.
What we found: In 2011, President Barack Obama signed a sweeping food safety reform bill into law that was supposed to help prevent deadly foodborne illness outbreaks. Since that time, FDA has failed to put in place safety standards for the water used to grow fresh produce, as mandated by that law, despite knowing that water is one of the main ways fresh fruits and vegetables become contaminated with deadly pathogens.
In December 2021, the FDA put out an updated proposed rule to address agricultural water, but the rule has not yet been finalized or implemented.
Why this matters: Foodborne illness outbreaks keep happening and it often takes the agency too long to respond, as more people become sick. Over the past decade, there have been several major outbreaks tied to fresh produce, including some deadly ones tied to contaminated water, which has long been known as a major source for contamination.
Where to read more: Check out the "A BIT OF A BLACK HOLE" section of the story.
3.
FDA made little progress on keeping toxic elements out of baby foods
What we found: The FDA has had a work group focused on toxic elements in the food supply since 2017, but has taken little action, even as concerns about heavy metals and other toxic elements in baby food have been repeatedly flagged by health groups and Congress.
Responding to enormous outside pressure, FDA in 2021 committed to setting standards for lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic in some baby foods, but the timeline for action spans several years.
Why this matters: It’s important to keep babies’ exposure to heavy metals and other toxic elements as low as possible because they are particularly vulnerable to developmental and other effects. Lead exposure in children can cause behavioral problems and lowered IQ.
Where to read more: Check out the "THE RAGE OF A MILLION PARENTS" section of the story.
We want to hear from you: Have you complained to the FDA about the Similac recall or another infant formula recall? Tell us.
4.
FDA has not taken timely action to help cut sodium consumption
What we found: The FDA has for many years stated that cutting sodium across the food supply is a major public health priority. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine advised the agency to set mandatory sodium standards, estimating that cutting sodium intake nationwide could prevent more than 100,000 deaths and save billions in health care costs each year.
The agency decided instead to set voluntary reduction goals, an attempt to dial down sodium across food categories slowly over time. It’s taken the agency roughly a decade to get some of these sodium reduction goals out the door amid stiff industry opposition and changing administrations. Meanwhile, other countries moved on similar targets years ago.
Why this matters: A recent study, published in the journal Hypertension, estimated that the FDA’s most recent four-year delay finalizing the targets may result in more than 250,000 unnecessary deaths over about a decade and a half.
Where to read more: Check out the "OUR FOOD IS KILLING US" section of the story.
English (US)