N.C. leads fight to stop tainted food

North Carolina isn't waiting for the next time imported products sicken a child or kill a cat.

In a push to find problems before they harm consumers, inspectors with the N.C. Department of Agriculture have been routinely monitoring imported candy, seafood, dry spices and nearly a dozen other imported and domestically produced products on grocery shelves.

The program, started in 2005, is one reason North Carolina was recently asked to join four other states in helping the U.S. Food and Drug Administration develop a better system for ensuring the safety of the nation's food supply. State and local agencies conduct about 80 percent of food safety inspections nationally, but the frequency and quality of such checks vary greatly from state to state.

The safety of food and other products shipped into this country is on American consumers' minds more than ever.

This year alone, hundreds of cats and dogs died or became sick after eating pet food made with tainted imported additives. Imported toothpaste was pulled from shelves because it contained a toxic compound used to thicken antifreeze. And a children's toy, AquaDots, was yanked from the market after it was found to contain residue that breaks down into a "date rape" drug.

All three cases involved products from China.

For many, the scares turned the safety of imported goods -- especially products for human consumption -- into a priority.

But North Carolina and federal regulators, as well as industry and consumer groups, have been concerned for years about this county's growing reliance on imports and the inherent risks that go with them.

Undercover shoppers

In North Carolina, food safety officers do weekly "secret shops" to buy items on the watch list, visiting the largest chain grocery stores and the smallest Hispanic tiendas. Products are sent to the Department of Agriculture's food safety laboratory in Raleigh, where they are tested for bacteria, pesticides and other potentially harmful contaminants.

"We want consumers, when they visit stores, to have confidence that the products they are purchasing are safe," said Joe Reardon, director of the state agriculture department's food and drug safety division. "If we wait until the consumer reports a problem, we have missed an opportunity to recall the product before there is a public health consequence."

Most products check out. But since starting its surveillance program in 2005, the state has found staphylococcus, E.coli and salmonella bacteria in soft cheeses, undeclared allergens in imported raisins and illegal antibiotics in foreign-raised fish. In each case, the state's tests led to recalls.

About 15 percent of the nation's food is imported. Certain foods, such as seafood, come mostly from foreign sources.

And the amount is growing.

Just over 84 percent of fish and shellfish consumed in the United States in 2005 was imported, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That's up from about 57 percent in 1980. Fruit and vegetable imports more than tripled during the same period. About 23 percent of fruits and nearly half of vegetables eaten in the United States were imports in 2005.

Many countries shipping into the United States do not meet American standards for sanitation and food safety. Yet only about 1 percent of imported goods are tested for possible contamination, the FDA says.

Comparable data are not available for North Carolina, but experts say the state's food supply probably mirrors national trends.

"The world is feeding us today," said Reardon, the state food and drug safety division chief. "I'm not suggesting all these products are bad. But it's our responsibility to ensure that the products coming into our state are safe and sound."