What not to eat during the government shutdown

We have one of the worst food safety records in the developed world. In the wake of the government shutdown, FDA food inspections have been suspended, and the nation-wide network for reporting outbreaks of food-borne illness (which triggers food recalls) is closed. As little work as the FDA does at the best of times (they are only able to inspect 2% of the food being imported into the country when they are working at full speed), the closure of FDA inspections could end up being disastrous for American health.

Foods that need to be kept fresh are obviously the biggest issue. While there is FDA inspection of things like canned chili and dried pasta, it's the meat, seafood, fruits and vegetables that we particularly need to worry about.

A huge amount of the seafood we eat in America is imported from other countries. Imported shrimp is particularly notorious for arriving in terrible condition at America's borders which is why it is usually on the FDA's "red flag" list for mandatory inspection. With FDA inspections shut down, Americans are strongly advised to stick to domestic shrimp (or go shrimpless for a while).

Same story for fish and crab. Seek out domestically-sourced seafood, or avoid it altogether. This goes for frozen seafood as well as fresh, by the way. Take a good hard look at the next box of fish sticks you buy, and if it doesn't specify that the fish was caught in US waters, give it a pass.

As for domestic meat, this is actually under the authority of the USDA, not the FDA. Technically, USDA meat and poultry inspections are continuing during the government shutdown. But rumor from the field is that the inspectors are being overworked, stressed out, with "exceptionally low" morale. Not a good recipe for due diligence when it comes to meat inspections.

This means that it's probably not a great time to explore the world of burgers cooked medium-rare. And if you don't have a good meat thermometer, now is a great time to buy one! It can literally mean the difference between life and death.

Image courtesy Flickr/WordRidden