Just like the National Zoo, the Smithsonian, the EPA, national park
rangers, FEMA (until post-Katrina scared people), the AFIP, Walter
Reed, and some other departments under administrative branch
governance, the FDA was set up to have problems by being repeatedly
more and more UNDERfunded while the work load increased. I had not
realized how extreme it had gotten for the FDA until I ran into a
number yesterday on an ABC video report (available on that website)
stating that although the FDA is in charge of food safety for 80% of
the food in the U.S. it gets only 20% of the funding for food safety.
(The report did not say which agency(ies) get the bulk of the food
safety money.) Furthermore, that funding is so insufficient that
according to the report most of it is needed just to keep chicken and
beef reasonably safe because those are two things most likely to cause
human health problems when not carefully patrolled, so watching those
is where most of that 20% is going. The argument by those in the
federal administrative branch who write budgets and supply funding to
the FDA is that educated consumers will regulate the market by not
buying products with problems. How's that going, BTW?

So, while it feels good to complain, the reality is that if the FDA
doesn't have enough people and the money it needs to get the job done
then things can't change. It would be as if I turned to you and said,
"Okay, you live on a strict budget and are all alone. So, what? By
tomorrow I want you to buy subflooring and tile supplies, spackle and
painting supplies, all new bathroom fixtures,new toilet, new tub, all
new kitchen appliances and by yourself, in a space of 36 hours, while
still doing all your other work I want you to replace the floors in
both your kitchen and bathroom, replace all the fixtures and appliances
(etc.) and spackle and paint." Let's face it, to do a job right a
governmental department NEEDS funding. Imagine if you had to narrow
yourself down to mostly tackling only the two things most likely to
cause problems because there wasn't money provided to do more.

BTW, another dog food has been added, and the number of pig farms which
fed melamine laced foods to pigs destined for the food supply is now up
to ones in a half dozen states:

>Hogs ate pet food tainted with chemical
>By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
>Tue Apr 24, 8:17 PM ET
>
>WASHINGTON - Salvaged pet food contaminated with an industrial
>chemical was sent to hog farms in as many as six states, federal
>health officials said Tuesday. It was not immediately clear if any
>hogs that ate the tainted feed then entered the food supply for
>humans...

and from another (Reuters this time):

>FDA examines if pet food contaminant in human food
>By Susan Heavey
>Wed Apr 25, 8:13 AM ET
>
>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Health officials are now looking at whether
>humans may have consumed food containing a chemical linked to a
>recall of pet foods and livestock feed...
>
>FDA officials said they would inspect imports of six grain products
>used in foods ranging from bread to baby formula for traces of
>melamine, a chemical thought to have killed and sickened cats and
>dogs.
>
>The California Agriculture Department said separately it was trying
>to contact 50 people who bought pork that may have come from pigs
>fed food containing melamine.

For more:

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html

and

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/pet_food_recall;_ylt=Ap6BBI6im1PtnXxrJ0f9PI7MWM0F

and

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/petfood_testing_dc;_ylt=AqnIEJzx8J7dSk45Of_ByFLMWM0F

Sukie (not a vet)
Current FHL address:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5589]