QandAs: Food

Is the American food supply safe?

Answer:
America's food supply is subject to any number of potentially unsafe influences,

including, but not limited to, naturally-occurring bacteria and viruses; intentional contamination; and even toxic product ingredients in some of the processed foods.

The food that most of today's Americans consume is generally thought of as being safe, given the sheer volume of food products that are processed, harvested, manufactured, handled, transported, and otherwise distributed to nearly 300 million hungry Americans.

That said, the American food supply is also quite vulnerable, since much food is imported from various regions of the world, where controls and safeguards might be less stringent than those governing food production in the United States.

The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and other U.S. Government agencies have oversight and certain enforcement responsibilities to ensure the American food supply is, indeed, safe for the American people.

All too often, it seems, we hear about American foods being contaminated or tainted or otherwise unsafe for consumption. And, as we know, some of these events have caused countless ailments and even death, before they are identified and safety alerts are issued and food products are recalled or otherwise taken from the mainstream supply. Such events not only cause unnecessary suffering and death, but also significantly impact food prices and the peoples' trust levels.

In addition to the naturally-occurring and other contamination that some of our food supply is subject to, American processed foods also contain a host of ingredients which are questionable, when it comes to long-term consumption.

For example, many artificial and chemical ingredients are known to cause some diseases and health conditions. Substances like aspartame, monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrogenated vegetable oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and numerous similar ingredients have been shown to have sometimes serious long-term ill effects on the human body, and some such ingredients contribute to the overall "body-burden", where toxic ingredients (from air, water, soil pollution as well as toxic food and other consumer product ingredients) build up in the body over time, causing or contributing to a variety of ailments, including cancers, diabetes, ADD, ADHD, and more.

In summary, it becomes clear that all Americans must be vigilant with regard to the foods (and many other products) we consume and otherwise expose ourselves to. Read the labels, and learn about the ingredients and processes used in the American food industry. That way, you can make informed, intelligent choices.