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Questioning how healthy or beneficial the food we eat is


Perhaps it won't come as a surprise to some, but most people will be appalled to learn that the food we eat may not, despite what is touted for it, be all that good or healthy for us.

CommonDreams [republishing a Reuters piece] reports on a the sway and influence the food industry in the US has over the Food & Drug Administration - and the direct effect for we, the consumers.

"The food industry is jeopardizing U.S. public health by withholding information from food safety investigators or pressuring regulators to withdraw or alter policy designed to protect consumers, said a survey of government scientists and inspectors.

A study released on Monday by the Union of Concerned Scientists found one-in-four of those surveyed have seen corporate interests forcing their agency to withdraw or modify a policy or action designed to protect consumers during the past year.

Pressure to overhaul the food safety system has grown following several high-profile outbreaks involving lettuce, peppers, eggs, peanuts, spinach and most recently eggs that have sickened thousands and shaken the public's confidence in the safety of the food supply."

The 44-question survey, conducted earlier this year, also found more than 38 percent of those respondents said public health has been hurt by businesses influencing food safety policy at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Agriculture Department."

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