• Warl0k3@lemmy.world
    12·
    5 hours ago

    I was curious about the number of recalls we’ve been seeing, and if it’s actually higher than normal or if the meme is raising visibility more than in the past - according to RecallBench (an excellent reference which draws from source), this year is on track to be slightly lower than average (35.9/month for 2026 | 45.4/month 13-year average) when compared to the last 13 years of recall statistics, but not unprecedentedly so (2020: 35.0/mo , 2022: 36.5/mo).

    Given what the trump admin has done to reporting and food inspection, I’m a little surprised to find this out.

      • Warl0k3@lemmy.world
        3·
        2 hours ago

        Except clearly they are still finding problems, and at a rate that isn’t at all unprecedentedly low. The actual situation is a great deal more* complex than can be caught in a simple sentiment.

        • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
          4·
          2 hours ago

          Suppliers have learned that things aren’t being tested as much as they should and are cutting corners. The stuff that is being found is mostly the stuff that immediately results in a bunch of people getting sick. It’s not being found by inspectors, but by clinics.

          The stuff that takes a long time to impact health, or has cognitive effects instead of nausea and diarrhea, is gonna take a long time to discover. We’re ALL being poisoned, we just don’t know it.

          • Warl0k3@lemmy.world
            2·
            1 hour ago

            This doesn’t appear to be reflected in the recalls themselves, and under-inspection has been an issue since covid. Food recalls are primarily from testing done in state labs, while FDA facility inspections are primarily preventative (i.e. they do not find major issues, they find things that lead to major issues in the future and correct them). I can find few examples of a facility inspection that has lead to a recall (for food), and those are what has been primarily impacted by doge’s cuts. I’ve just checked the last ten FDA food recalls, and no illnesses have been reported in connection to any of them (including the above referenced one) (though for the more recent ones, that information may not have been attributed yet - reporting wasn’t the most impacted part of the FDA which doge cut, but it definitely had an impact).

            I don’t have the attention span to check for drugs, but I’m very curious if this trend holds true for those as well.

        • Dozzi92@lemmy.world
          2·
          2 hours ago

          Yeah, I think there’s obviously an effort to report more on recalls because of the shit trump has done. I love regulation, but I also know that the media is a weapon. We see a plane crash, you can bet there’s going to be reporting on everything plane related for a while.

          I feel like I ought to reiterate how what trump has done is shit, I disagree with it, etc.

          • Warl0k3@lemmy.world
            1·
            2 hours ago

            Would you mind clarifying? It seems to me to agree with both comments I’ve made on this subject.

    • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
      1·
      2 hours ago

      What’s shocking is that they’ve cut back on so many inspectors but are still having so many recalls.

      How much is slipping through unnoticed? If it doesn’t immediately make people sick, contaminated food and drugs may go years without being noticed without testing.

    • Funkt4st1c@lemmy.worldEnglish
      61·
      4 hours ago

      I think it speaks to how bad it likely actually is, that with a weakened FDA we still have so many recalls. I wonder what the actual number would be if we were able to catch everything

      • Warl0k3@lemmy.world
        5·
        4 hours ago

        Looking into it more, it’s unlikely there would be a difference. As with this recall, it was caught by a (non-FDA) state health agency and the recall was initiated by the company in response. This seems to be by far the most common way food recalls are initiated, and that tracks with the FDA’s role in the process. What was cut by doge was their preventative ability, which is enforcement of code before it becomes an incident that would require a full recall. Given the previous schedule of inspections (2-3 or 3-5 years depending on facility), this means we’ll likely start seeing the full impact of those cuts at the end of this year and it will ramp up from there.

        What’s changed is the ratio between inspection depth and enforcement breadth. The agency can still catch large, visible violations — but the kind of quiet, routine inspection that catches a facility trending in the wrong direction before it becomes a serious problem is the function most affected by DOGE’s support staff cuts. (source)

  • john_tech@lemmy.zip
    15·
    8 hours ago

    I love how ridiculous every photo of RFK looks. He doesn’t have a single photo where the brain worm isn’t up to something

      • Eq0@literature.cafe
        91·
        6 hours ago

        Like when kids suddenly go sold by an bed quiet and you know they are up to mischief… but this is a whole nation going rogue

        Edited to remove random words and replace them with hopefully more meaningful ones

        • Gerblat@lemmy.world
          19·
          10 hours ago

          Like when kids suddenly go sold by an bed

          I think one of us had a stroke because I have no idea what you’re trying to say here 😅

          • Eq0@literature.cafe
            2·
            6 hours ago

            I might have had a stroke… “like when kids suddenly go quiet and you know they are up to mischief”

          • EchoCranium@lemmy.zipEnglish
            6·
            9 hours ago

            Usually assume autocorrect mangled the person’s text and try to figure it out. I’m at a loss on this one.

            • Eq0@literature.cafe
              1·
              6 hours ago

              I remember what I wanted to write but I honestly have no idea how it got out like that. It wasn’t (only) autocorrect’s fault

    • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      6 hours ago

      check out this wheelbarrow, will ya? with a couple ATV nubbie tires on the back and a two-stroke lawnmower engine, we could make one SWEET go-cart!

    • Zephorah@discuss.online
      16·
      12 hours ago

      A lot of the heavy metal contaminants are from machinery used in other countries. You think we produce our own spices? Ha!

      Look up the article on chocolate and lead contaminants. Fun times at Trader Joe’s.

      • infinitesunrise@slrpnk.netEnglish
        1·
        2 hours ago

        Yes it usually is and that’s why it’s a responsibility of the importer to verify what is going on in their supply chains.

      • paper_moon@lemmy.world
        9·
        12 hours ago

        Fuck. I thought trader joes chocolate was on the less bad side. Been eating it over the other grocery store brand which is also probably not great…

          • TheOakTree@lemmy.zip
            1·
            5 hours ago

            The CA Prop 65 warnings are largely meaningless because it’s cheaper for companies to label their goods with the warning than to test to the level of precision required to prove that the label can be left out.

          • ExoticCherryPigeon@piefed.socialEnglish
            6·
            11 hours ago

            Over here (across the pond), we got fruit and veg boxes being delivered weekly. You got a few companies that do it, some local, some country wise.

            Point is, if you see a raw fruit and veg, it’s probably less likely to be contaminated with some heavy metals. Not impossible but less likely.

            But yes, I do enjoy good old EU regulation for food safety. Any products that will say made in USA, will definitely not be bought by me.