North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Kevin Moore <aleguy33@yahoo.com>]

I agree with your first two points, but must take issue with the last two. Small and large producers should not be held to the same standards. Large producers, because of the fact that they can't possibly give their products the same attention as small producers, should be held to much more exacting standards of food-source ID. Small producers don't tend to have problems with salmonella, usually sell to local citizens and have no way to hide behind huge bureaucracies. It is not only unfair, but ludicrous to suggest that small producers abide by the same regulations necessary to ensure that food from large producers is safe, if not entirely edible.
Also, the erosion of the FDA started way back. As much as I'd like to blame the former administration for it, they didn't start it. When the FDA started requiring fees from Pharmaceutical companies, they began to see those companies as their clients. Rather than protecting citizens by watching over those companies, their view changed to one of service to those companies. The revolving door, where scientists who develop a drug also sit on the FDA board that approves it, is not something new, nor is it confined to that agency. I don't believe the FDA can ever be returned to its original mission any more than we can get politicians to give their campaign funds over to public election financing when they retire, instead of going into their private bank accounts.

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From: John Maurer <jmaurer73@verizon.net>
To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, August 21, 2009 10:39:20 AM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Info on cherries stopped by FDA

My personal opinions:

1.  Food producers should produce food, not make health claims.  They
should be able to support organizations qualified to study and make
health claims, however.
2.  The importation ban was a misguided program against invasive
species, not food.
3.  Small and large food producers should be held to the same standards.
4.  The last administration gutted the FDA and manned it with cronies
from the pharmaceutical industry.  It will take some time to return it
to a public-serving organization, but the work has already begun.


John M.
Northern VA
Zone 6/7

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