FDA Asserts Authority To Bankrupt Innocent Parties As Part Of FDA's Pursuit Of "Public Health"

PerishablePundit.com ^ | July 22, 2008 | Jim Prevor

[JimPrevor]

The FDA continues its habit of making mountains out of mole hills. The discovery of a single jalapeño with Salmonella Saintpaul at the warehouse of a tiny distributor named Agricola Zaragoza on the McAllen Produce Terminal Market simply doesn’t mean very much.

...Once again, needlessly and with reckless disregard for the rights of innocent people, the FDA has destroyed an industry.

...Dr. Acheson thinks that it is within his authority to destroy the fortunes of innocents.

...Repeating the words “public health” as a mantra, though, does not make it true. The bottom line is that the risk for healthy people of eating fresh jalapeños was always inconsequential and, at this date, is de minimis.

...these recommendations are based on nothing other than Dr. Acheson’s personal metric of risk aversion.

...If the FDA thinks it can just shut down a New Jersey jalapeño farm on the odd chance that maybe it has something to do with something, then we are no longer a government of laws, we are just at the mercy of men like Dr. Acheson.

[JimPrevor]

FDA first destroyed the tomato farmers, now it is at work on the chili pepper farmers. FDA asserts it is permitted to destroy countless innocent farmers and other businesses in exchange for a purely theoretical and, at best, infinitesimal improvement in public health. If we countenance such behavior by government agents, the chili farmers will not be the last victims.

[tubebender]

Over here. FReepers abhor government intervention yet I see some advocating greater minute control of our current abundant food supply. For one bad pepper another industry is brought to it's knees

[patton]

Do you know how my family reacted to the tomato scare?

We flat out ignored it.

And, as it turned out, the government was crying wolf...yet again.

Bet that part of government never shrinks.

Even though government action put a significant number of farmers flat out of business.

[JimPrevor]

Thanks for the post. The problem here is that the use of the words “Public Health” have somehow morphed into permission to hurt innocent people. If the God of Food Safety demanded that we burn one farm to the ground and leave that farmer bankrupt to avoid any food safety incidents, we would never do it. But bankrupt a thousand innocent farmers for nothing and it is now par for the course.

Jim Prevor
http://www.PerishablePundit.com

[JimPrevor]

The risk of these things are so small that if you run any normal risk — drive in a car, walk and thus run the risk of getting hit by lightening, etc. — then these ‘FDA Advisories” are just meaningless. But they never put things in perspective so scare half the country. Thanks for the post.

Jim Prevor
http://www.PerishablePundit.com

[patton]

Tomato crop sales in VA are down 30%, due to a misguided government pronouncement.

I think the VA Gov (idiot dem) aught to declare a state of emergency, and apply for Federal disaster relief for the state.

[vetvetdoug]

If the Salmonella has the identical DNA fingerprint as the infected individuals, then that producer is the culprit. However, the FDA is on a witch hunt until they find the source of the outbreak. The FDA/USDA didn't have the power it does now back in the 1970’s. There was a redundancy in the inspection process then but with the political appointees by Carter and Clinton into the FDA (ie lawyers instead of medical personnel) the FDA/USDA became the behemoth it is now. The Military used to inspect their own food sources until the 1980’s and were pretty efficient. Once the USDA took over there became political corruption and greed.

[jerry639]

Never fear I had lots of jalapeno and chili pepper plants that are ready to bloom. How many do you need to make it through the winter?

[JimPrevor]

All over the country tomato sales are down. Consumer confidence is a fragile thing and government officials speculating before the national media can cause major problems. There are several industry initiatives ongoing to get compensation for the harm the FDA did. The success or failure of these efforts is, however, more likely to hinge on politics than justice. thanks for the post.

Jim Prevor
http://www.PerishablePundit.com

[JimPrevor]

USDA has no responsibility for food safety in fresh produce — that is FDA. The pepper was found not on a farm but in a distribution center. Unless we find out how the Salmonella got on that pepper, you can't say it is related to the outbreak — regardless of the serotype. This is Salmonella Saintpaul, same as the outbreak, but that variant of salmonella has been around for years. It is rare but known. Thanks for the post.

Jim Prevor
http://www.PerishablePundit.com

[JimPrevor]

Hmm...better not let FDA find out. They may come a knocking. Thanks for the post. Jim Prevor http://www.PerishablePundit.com

[an amused spectator]

If we countenance such behavior by government agents, the chili farmers will not be the last victims.

When they came for the chili farmers, I did not speak out, for I was not a chili farmer...

I did notice, however, the bodies of the tomato farmers that were run over like road kill by the FDA and the main stream media in their mad dash to the "24-hour truth"...

[JimPrevor]

It may sound excessive, but the point is there. The FDA’s behavior is essentially lawless. If they have the power, at their discretion, to leave innocent people penniless they turn all of us into a kind of supplicant, begging for their favor. That position is not compatible with the free citizenry needed to sustain a free society. Thanks for the post.

Jim Prevor
http://www.PerishablePundit.com

[tubebender]

You don't need to spam us with your website

BTW...Welcome to FRee Republic

[Gabz]

Gardening and foodie PING..........

I highly recommend going to the link, it is an excellent analysis of what damage is done by these over zealous bureacrats.

[Gabz]

This entire subject just has me fuming. Thanks for the ping.

[TChris]

There are several industry initiatives ongoing to get compensation for the harm the FDA did.

Yes, and they will get "compensation" in the form of taxpayer money.

The FDA guarantees either the farmer or the taxpayer is screwed.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

"The FDA guarantees either the farmer or the taxpayer is screwed."

Farmers are taxpayers. I'm just sayin' ...

[JustaDumbBlonde]

"You don't need to spam us with your website"

Agreed. It is irritating to see the link repeated in every response. However, welcome to FR and thanks for the article!

[muawiyah]

Ancient comment applicable here ~ “Even the least afflicted leper is not permitted to leave the colony”.

Frankly speaking, innocent people are not permitted to spread disease.

No doubt finding one pepper WITH SALMONELLA ON THE INSIDE is just "one pepper", but NO PEPPERS are allowed to have salmonella on the inside.

Gotta' be a darned good explanation for that one.

Given that the earliest findings involved salsa, which is made out of TOMATOES and PEPPERS, going after the tomatoes and then the peppers made sense.

I'm sure the pepper sample size has been substantially increased now that the "detection sampling" stage has been found to be productive.

That will leave the Mexican pepper growers squealing like pigs.