It seems like since RFK.Jr took over at HHS we have had food crisis one after another….so with that in mind….is our food safe anymore?
A majority of Americans think not so much.
Americans are growing wary of what’s in their supermarket carts, and of who’s minding the food supply. Food Safety Magazine cites a new Gallup poll that finds 65% of respondents feel at least somewhat confident that food sold in most grocery stores is safe, the lowest level since the survey began, and down from 81% in 2019. The share of respondents who aren’t very confident or not at all confident has nearly doubled to 34%. Confidence in restaurant food looks similar, with about two-thirds expressing trust there as well. The poll followed a record cyclospora outbreak that sickened more than 12,000 people across 21 states and a string of high-profile recalls.
Trust in Washington’s oversight has slid even faster. Just 47% say they have a great deal or fair amount of confidence in the federal government’s ability to keep the food supply safe, down from 68% in 2019 and an 85% peak in 2004; a majority now express little or no confidence. The politics are stark: Confidence in the government’s role has climbed to 70% among Republicans during President Trump’s second term but fallen to 30% among Democrats. Across parties, though, behavior is shifting the same way: About 73% have skipped certain brands or foods in the past year, 45% have trashed or returned items, and 42% feared something they ate was tainted.
The Daily Beast notes that these poll results come with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the helm of the Health and Human Services Department, with “speculation that he could be one of the high-profile figures Trump fires following the midterms.” In the meantime, RFK Jr.’s agency is backing him up. “Secretary Kennedy’s pledge to ‘Make America Healthy Again’ goes hand in hand with keeping America’s food supply safe,” an HHS rep notes, adding that the “FDA and CDC have mounted robust responses to foodborne outbreaks … and continue working with state and local health departments to strengthen outbreak prevention and response.”
It is only get worse thanx to the policies of RFK,Jr and Dear Lovely Donny….I am very careful when buy produce but even with that I cannot be 100% sure that the food is safe.
But what can we expect from our government when taxpayer money is used for ego boosting ads for Donny?
How do you feel about this issue?
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
Some of the stuff in South Africa can be dodgy. Farmers use glyphosate among numerous delightful nasties on crops. For this reason, among others, I grow as much fresh produce for the family as I can and look to up the quantity every season.
We now have an ad campaign running that’s calling for the government to address the diabetes crisis related to sugar in cold drinks and other stuff.
Jo’burg water is still pretty good, but for how long?
If you are able to grow a few things there is nothing better than home grown.
I try to grow as much as I can….sadly I am getting to be an old fart and it gets tougher by the year…..chuq
Ark, here in the US unless you grow it yourself or get your produce from a certified organic farm you can be sure that it’s been drenched in herbicides, pesticides and fungicides.
Closely inspect whatever you buy– cut out all moldy or rotted areas or discard affected merchandise completely — cook it to the temperature that kills all the harmful bacteria that may be present …serve quickly, consume completely — they fired most of the food safety inspectors and that is the problem.
Good info….chuq
As I mentioned in John’s post, I cannot recall the last time we had a food safety product recall here, so it was a long time ago. One of the reasons that the UK is refusing to import chicken from the US is because of fears over its safety. Especially since Trump and his gang took over controls, and then abandoned them.
Best wishes, Pete.
It seems a lot of our food is GMO and that is not a good place to be…..chuq