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.

Hold the Popcorn

It seems we have another item to add to our list of foods to avoid: buttery, microwavable popcorn. For years there have been records of workers in microwave popcorn packaging plants suffering from severe lung disease and occupational asthma. The cause has been identified as diacetyl, the chemical used in the buttery flavoring of popcorn. Now a doctor has reported a case of a man with similar symptoms in the general population, a heavy consumer of microwavable popcorn. And one popcorn manufacturer is removing diacetyl from its products. (Did you know that diacetyl is also used in alcoholic beverages? According to Wikipedia, low levels of the chemical make the drinks feel smooth and slippery in the mouth.)

Some bloggers have tried to bring attention to what they think is a serious problem and blame the Bush administration for not holding manufacturers accountable and for not cautioning the public.

Judge for yourself, but I think I'm going to pass on the buttery, microwavable popcorn and return to popping my own the old-fashioned way.

UPDATE

And here are directions for making popcorn the old fashioned way: "Diner's Journal," The New York Times.