It's Not Just Pet Food Anymore

Tainted pet food may seem to be a bit off-topic for a blog devoted to helping Baby Boomers stay healthy. But read on and you'll see that a) it's not just pet food that's being poisoned (as I noted in the previous post) -- it's food we eat every day, and b) the contamination has been going on for some time. Bottom line -- even people who are doing everything they can to stay healthy are likely to feel the effects of this BIG TIME!

From this morning's reading, here are a series of links for anyone interested in following the story:

From a diary at one of my favorite blogs -- dailykos.com -- breaking news on Congress holding hearings and sending investigators to the West Coast to pursue reports of widespread melamine contamination. Plus, an excellent round-up of related news on this enormous scandal.

From the current issue of USA Today, a story on the FDA finally -- FINALLY! -- taking action to limit Chinese imports. Plus, check out this sidebar on commonly used ingredients that could be contaminated. What's the likelihood that all of us have consumed at least one of these ingredients? Something like 99.9%?

And finally, at MSNBC, a piece about nearly 40 chicken farms in Indiana where tainted food was fed to chickens that were sold for human consumption. More area farms are likely to be added to the list, as well.

The point here is not to frighten people, but to make everyone aware of how widespread this contamination is. Clearly, the "self-regulation" this administration endorsed is not working. We need -- and should demand -- stringent controls on food and individual ingredients, whether they come from abroad or not. Write, call, fax and/or email your representatives in Congress. (Go to Congress Merge to find names and contact information.) Tell them you want strict oversight of our food supply and an FDA with the resources it needs to be fully functional. It's bad enough that thousands of innocent dogs and cats had to die to make us all aware of this issue. How many children are being sickened by these products? What about people with chronic illnesses and the elderly -- surely they shouldn't be eating food that's not fit for animals. Actually, none of us should. So let's do something about it.