Science Be Damned.....Again

James E. McWilliams, professor of history at Texas State University, criticizes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today in Slate on its poor performance in protecting our food supply. He focuses particularly on the melamine scare in baby formula. The scare began in China, where several babies died, and thousands were sickened, from having ingested the ingredient in their formula, but melamine has been discovered in baby formula in the U. S., as well. (See these stories for further information: "Calls for National Infant Formula Recall Spread," MSNBC, posted November 26, 2008; "Trace Levels of Melamine in Formula Called Safe," Annys Shin, The Washington Post, November 29, 2008.)

The most interesting detail in The Washington Post article is the FDA's sudden turnabout on what constitutes a "safe level" of melamine in food. First, the FDA stated that science has not indicated that any level of melamine is safe. Then, after trace amounts of melamine were discovered in U.S. supplies of baby formula, the FDA backtracked, stating that, well, small trace amounts pose no threat. Ummm..... upon what was this declaration based? Science? The outrage of companies selling infant formula? Caprice? One wonders.....

James McWilliams points out that the FDA warned the companies involved of the trace elements of melamine but didn't release that information to the public "until the Associated Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the test results and published the news in late November." He also points out that the milk powder in question is not limited to baby formula; it appears in many products the wider public ingests, such as "caramelized candies, whey protein supplements, power bars, powdered drinks, nondairy creamers, and baking mixes, among others." Suddenly, that hot cup of instant cocoa looks a lot less appetizing.

Anyway, McWilliams ends his article with suggestions for improving the FDA's performance, not the least of which is requiring the organization to base its policies on science. You can read the entire article here: "Tainted Government," Slate, December 29, 2008.