Dive Brief:
- With no end in sight for the U.S. government shutdown, it's time to start worrying about the safety of the food chain.
- The FDA has already furloughed 45 percent of its workforce.
- Imported food is the big issue. Some 91 percent of seafood imports are entering the country without inspection. Nearly half of imported fruit and about 20 percent of imported vegetables are not being inspected.
- State and local inspections continue. And experts believe it very unlikely that problems will remain undetected. The fear is that managing a product recall or food-related health crisis would prove extremely difficult in the present situation.
Dive Insight:
If the shutdown continues much longer -- and that seems likely -- we expect to see changes in how American shop. Look for a decline in the sale of imported seafood and produce. Such a shift in purchasing is already starting. Just yesterday we heard a woman at our local market tell a friend not to buy any "foreign fruit" until the government goes back to work.