Can the FDA Be Trusted?

In the case of food safety it comes down to one thing - whether or not the FDA says something is ok, or "acceptable". But how do we know they're working with enough knowledge? They're only as good as their information and they themselves have admitted to flawed studies. Not only that but they compare data from a wide variety of sources, including studies funded by companies with an interest in keeping their products approved.


I started out tonight writing an article on the use of plastics in every day life - the waste, environmental, and possible health impacts. I began doing my research into the area that's most controversial and alarming because it could directly affect all of us - the affect of various components of plastics leaching into our food and water. There are many that have been found to disperse through one method or another. Antimony and dioxin are two of them. I've found many good sources both pro and against the claims that this is a threat to your health. But that's the problem - pick any topic, especially one of any economic importance - and you'll have dozens of people on either side willing to give their expert opinion. How does the average consumer decide which expert is really expert enough? How do you know that first MIT guy to give his findings did his work any more thoroughly than the last guy?


I found my tentative answers on plastic and food safety but the search resurrected a larger and more pressing dilemma - is the FDA realiable? With all the conflicting evidence, how do we know they haven't made mistakes? I want to close my eyes and say, "Yes it's reliable and trustworthy. It is a government agency appointed with keeping our food supply safe. No one in government would put anything before the safety of the American people." But then I remember I live in , where a horse show commissioner became head of a castrated FEMA.