There has been an upsurge in food product recalls over the past couple of years. And ancient and venerable Consumer Reports says UPF makers are pulling the wool over the FDA’s eyes. Do you believe the food you’re eating is safe?
The FDA admitted – to a shocked crowd at the 2025 Food Safety Summit – that its ‘wheels turn too slowly’ to keep up with the need for inspections.
“We have more tools now [than ever before] to reach consumers — and we need to use them better.” Dr. Donald Prater, Principal Deputy Director for Human Foods at the FDA, explaines. “Speed and com-munication are essential,” he continued. “But we also know we can’t do this alone.”
Alas… “Only 13 percent of Americans have ever visited a government website for food recall inform-ation,” Dr. William Hallman, a behavioral scientist and Professor at Rutgers University observes. “And just 3 percent are subscribed to emails or text alerts.”
In a parallel shocker, Consumer Reports released results of a new survey indicating the majority of 40 popular snack products they tested had levels of additives and contaminants in excess of FDA limits. Some tested many, many times higher than the FDA mandates.
No wonder…
It’s no wonder ‘clean food’ and ‘healthy eating’ activists scream at us to be more aware of what we’re eating, and take responsibility for our own health and safety.
At the same time, more and more scientific research reports are surfacing about the myriad ills caused by Ultra-Processsed Foods (UPFs). And how UPFs work their dark sorcery on our bodies and minds.
My take
Hearing the FDA admit it’s not able to do its job properly, and reading the consumer reports exposé of additives and contaminants in snack foods, one can’t help by get an even-more negative impres-sion of the junk food industry than you might well have had before…
My questions to you:
Should the Trump Administration restore funding it stripped from the FDA over the past two years, to help the Agency restore its inspection services?
Do you believe the new regulations on artificial colours and flavours in junk food being mandated by the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will make a real differ-ence in the overall healthiness and safety of UPFs?
Knowing what the FDA and Consumer Reports have just told you, are you moved to buy and consume fewer UPFs, and become more aware of what’s in the food you’re eating?
Muse on that!
~ Maggie J.