Editorial: Need for more inspections

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 | 7:12 a.m.

The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for the safety of most of the nation's food supply, yet it has only enough resources to inspect 1.3 percent of the fish, produce and other foods that are imported each year.

Most recently the FDA's regulation of imported foods and ingredients has come under public scrutiny in the wake of recent recalls of pet foods containing wheat gluten from China, which was contaminated with an ingredient used in Asian fertilizers. Thousands of pets died or were sickened before the affected foods were taken off the market.

A recent story by the Associated Press reports that the amount of imported foreign foods and ingredients is escalating, but that the amount of money the FDA has to spend on inspections has not kept pace.

A recent report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigating arm of Congress, shows that the FDA regulates about 80 percent of the nation's food supply and receives only 24 percent of the $1.7 billion the federal government spends annually on food safety. The Agriculture Department, which regulates about 20 percent of the nation's food supply, receives 75 percent of the federal food safety money.

The Agriculture Department requires all products under its purview - meat and poultry, mostly - to carry foreign inspection certificates. The imports are inspected again at the ports of entry before being allowed into the United States. The FDA's measures aren't as strict, however. An FDA official told AP that the agency is doing better than it used to, but it still relies heavily on importers to make certain that foods brought into the United States are safe.

Strict food inspections cost plenty, as illustrated by the Agriculture Department's huge share of food safety funding. But the FDA, which is responsible for regulating most of the nation's imported foods, also should receive adequate federal funding to make certain that our food supply is safe - no matter where it comes from.