The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a supposed “safeguard” to our health, was established to provide protection against contaminated food and medicines. However, the recent spike of product recalls has put the health of numerous citizens at risk and called the FDA’s dependability into question. The health of the nation should be a top government priority. In order to prevent potential contaminations, such as salmonella, from infecting the food and health products we consume every day, the FDA must establish stricter regulations.

Food recalls are becoming more common—the most recent report this year involved a salmonella outbreak in peanut butter and other products made by the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). According to a 2009 article by News Inferno, the outbreak sickened 654 people in 44 states and killed at least nine people. The source of contamination was traced to a plant in Georgia, infected products were knowingly being shipped out. According to the Burlington Press, one family sued the company after their son was infected after eating peanut butter crackers. This was the first of many lawsuits against the FDA, and is a sure sign of its faultiness.

In addition to peanuts, salmonella was also discovered in alfalfa, pistachios and spinach within the last two years. In addition to these more recent outbreaks, in 2006, an E. coli outbreak killed three people through contaminated spinach. Last year, jalapeño peppers sickened 1400. The delayed discovery of the Georgia scandal again proves the FDA’s lack of control and thoroughness of food processing plants.

Currently, the FDA inspects food-processing plants only once every ten years. Such infrequent checks are not often enough to ensure that companies are sticking to the guidelines that keep us safe. The FDA should instead implement annual or even biannual inspections to ensure that companies are continuously adhering to government policies which would prevent the potential release of dangerous food products.

Some argue that frequent inspections would be much more expensive, and that the FDA currently lacks the financial support to support them. However, when concerning the nation’s health, costly procedures should not be an issue. Some may also argue that the FDA already has strict regulations in place, and that its incompetence is based off of a lack of funding and congressional support. Though regulations may already be in place, such regulations are clearly not enforced or at least not frequently enough. A logical solution to both of these problems would be to provide the FDA with more funding and staff members so that they are equipped to deal with our nation’s health in the best manner possible. With support and regulation, the FDA can ensure that citizens’ lives will not be put at risk daily.