Land of Plenty?

Nearly 2/3 of all fruits and vegetables and 3/4 of all seafood consumed in the U.S. come from outside the country, according to an eye-opening FDA report covered in the NY Times.  Does that seem crazy to you, too? And consider that, in one recent 12-month period, there were 40 recalls of imported foods that were considered an imminent threat to health. It gets worse: More than 80% of the active ingredients for the drugs we gobble down in this country are made abroad - mostly in plants in China and India that are rarely inspected by the FDA. Same with vitamins and medical devices, all of which fall under the purview of the FDA. Yet, as The Times points out, "instead of increasing the [FDA's] budget to perform those inspections, house Republicans voted last week to cut it."  Almost makes you want to reach for the Xanax...
Read the full FDA report in pdf format here. And support your local food producers!