A Little Gift From China And The FDA...!

We all know just how dedicated the FDA is in their work, right?

Here is a fine example of just how much they truly care about the safety of folks in this country! If they would just do the job they are supposed to, and quit bothering to meddle in the private lives of our citizens...nothing like this would ever happen!

Want some arsenic with that supplement?

You probably wouldn't expect to find mercury or arsenic or pesticides in your over-the-counter herbal dietary supplements.

But investigators, according to The New York Times, found them in there. The heavy metals were not considered to be at dangerous levels, but 16 of 40 samples did contain pesticides beyond legal limits.

The report, prepared by the Government Accountability Office, was provided to The New York Times before its release. It will be made public at a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on dietary supplements today in Washington.

The New York Times article goes beyond the study, which comes ahead of a massive food safety bill down the road and delves into the regulation of supplements, including vitamins:

In recent years, a vast majority of supplement suppliers have located overseas -- principally in China. Nearly all of the vitamin C and many other supplements consumed in the United States are made from ingredients made in Chinese plants. Those plants are almost never inspected by the FDA because the agency is not required to do so, has little money to do so and does not view the plants as particularly risky.

Read the rest of the story here.

Now doesn't that just give you a warm and fuzzy feeling all over...knowing just how well the FDA id protecting you from all the bad things? Better check and make sure that warm and fuzzy feeling isn't coming from the supplements approved by the FDA, ya know?

Just a suggestion!

Now, my friends, let's get some coffee and sit outside for a bit! OK? OK...!