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Currently the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees the safety of food products imported into the U.S., does not have specific guidelines for screening lead in dried products like spices. That's because the FDA feels there is no safe level of lead in dried products, since studies have not yet established that lead exposure doesn't lead to adverse health effects...
...agency has different thresholds for acceptable lead levels depending on the product and how it is to be used, says FDA spokesperson Ira Allen. For example, in 2006 the agency lowered its acceptable level of lead in candy, which children are likely to eat in large amounts. The FDA also reaffirmed its position that paints used in candy labels should be entirely lead-free, or they would be in violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. "We look at imports and we look for lead and other elements," says Allen. "But we do it on a targeted basis...
...most credible scenario for an irresistible groundswell of public support would have to include a tough consumer agency that would regulate financial products the way the FDA regulates food and drugs, along the lines proposed by bailout watchdog Elizabeth Warren. It wouldn't have to be a stand-alone agency; the FDA isn't, and nobody thinks of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency as a Treasury agency just because its employee emails end with treas.gov. But it would have to be truly independent, with its own budget, its own presidentially-appointed director, and preferably its own address...
...food safety rarely gets the attention it deserves. That's partially because the food-safety system in the U.S. is impenetrably complex; some 15 federal agencies are responsible for keeping the nation's food supply safe, which means that oversight in many cases falls through the gaps between the FDA, CDC and USDA. The USDA, for instance, is responsible for the safety of meat and poultry; the FDA handles other cases of food contamination; and the CDC tracks human illness in general...
Public-health officials and legislators hope that reports like this one, which can put a dollar figure on the pain and suffering caused by foodborne illness, may help prompt change. Late last year, the Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions unanimously approved the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which is currently in front of the Senate. "It's our job to go to war against foodborne illness," says DeLauro. "We can't afford to wait." At $152 billion a year, the meter is running...