Actually, that was pretty much true. People got sick from foodborne illnesses all the time. Vendors committed all kinds of unethical acts in order to increase their profits. For example, flour was diluted with clay and tricks were played to make rotten meat look palatable. If it weren't for the highly unethical practices of unregulated vendors of both food and drugs, leading to many illnesses and deaths, the FDA would never have been established. As far as I know, only the poorest countries do not have an FDA type agency.
What other countries do about regulating what their citizens is irrelevant. Please stay the hell out of MY pantry. If you want food regulations, lobby for State and local, not Federal. If you are confused as to why, read the Constitution.