If you think FDA “standards” are scary with respect to the pharmaceutical industry (Vioxx anyone?), wait until you hear what the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has to say about the FDA’s ability to protect you 
from tainted produce.
According to Reuters, the GAO recently released a report that says "FDA has no formal program devoted exclusively to fresh produce and has not consistently and reliably tracked its fresh produce spending." The report apparently goes on to say that “FDA examined less than 1 percent of the 7.6 million fresh produce lines imported from fiscal years 2002 through 2007."
The bottom line, according to Reuters, is that “preparation for a biological attack and repeated outbreaks of food poisoning” have stretched the FDA’s “limited resources” thin.
Hopefully, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider evidence such as this latest GAO report when it hears arguments for Wyeth v. Levine and other upcoming “preemption” cases that effectively give companies complete immunity from suit, so long as the goods they produce have met federal “standards.”
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