FDA, USDA Employees Claim They're Pressured To Compromise Safety
In a recent survey of 1700 employees of the FDA and the USDA, one out of every four respondents claimed to have witnessed pressure in the past year by the food industry to edit, or otherwise alter, research results in a way that promoted industry profits at the expense of safety. Over a third of the respondents reported witnessing political pressure to do the same.
The survey was conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists, working with researchers from Iowa State University. The entire 65 page survey with methodology and results can be viewed here.
According to the survey group, "The results reveal a food safety system where special interests and public officials all too often inhibit the ability of government
scientists and inspectors to protect the food supply." In the report, they add that reforms are needed to combat political and corporate interference at the FDA and USDA.
We've already witnessed in the Gulf of Mexico what can happen when industry and political pressures supercede safety considerations. We can't tolerate the same outcome in our food supply or safety.
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