I subscribe to a lot of newsletters and Substacks because, well, in my line of work, you gotta keep up. But many's the time I look at them and deeply resent the time and money lost for content that all too rarely enlightens or surprises.
The one thing I never, ever resent spending my time or money is for the digital subscription to Esquire that delivers the Last Call newsletters from Charles P. Pierce, who might be the single greatest reported opinion columnist in the country. (If there's a better one, I never heard of them.)
This week, in a column called "Have You Noticed Our Food Is Killing Us?", he talks about the fact that, thanks to corporate indifference and a federal inspection system that falls far short, our food supply is literally killing us. This being Charles Pierce, he also goes deeply into the history of food inspection in America.
CBS has totaled up the butcher’s bill for the last year. And the gardener’s bill. And the kid behind the counter at the fast-food joint’s bill, as well.
For the fiscal year that ended in September, there were 179 recalls deemed by the agency's food and cosmetics arm as being for the highest-risk classification of issues, like potential contamination with bacteria or undeclared allergens. That's up from 145 high-risk recalls in 2023, but less than the 185 the agency recorded in 2022. There were 167 high-risk recalls in 2019. This classification includes the recall of tens of thousands of cases of onions processed by Taylor Farms that were pulled earlier this fall, after officials suspected they were to blame for a deadly E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounder burgers that has sickened more than a hundred people.
The Food and Drug Administration–and more about that later—insists that the food supply in the United States is the safest in the world, and with good reason. The data seem to support the claim. But the data aren’t wandering the aisles at Whole Foods, wondering which of the sparkling crudites is a skilled covert assassin. And when you dolly out and look at the whole world, the numbers become truly daunting. The World Health Organization, which the incoming president hates, estimates that there are 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses a year producing some 400,000 fatalities. Thirty percent of those deaths occur to children under five-years old. And the threat is everywhere. For example, according to the National Institutes of Health, the worst country for E.coli is the United Kingdom.
He goes through the important roles played first by Teddy Roosevelt, and then by his cousin Franklin. He ends up here:
The appointment of RFK, Jr. and that of Dr. Oz to oversee Medicare and Medicaid, are a precise indicators of how the idea of public heath is about to take a turn into the bizarre. And, as Politico reported this week, this will not stop with those two.
Joseph Ladapo, who as Florida’s top health official questioned the safety of Covid vaccines and repeatedly resisted public health recommendations, is a leading contender for a senior role at the Department of Health and Human Services. Advisers are debating whether he should be CDC director, surgeon general or Kennedy’s assistant secretary for health. Casey Means, a former surgeon turned wellness influencer, is also under consideration to serve as surgeon general — or as HHS assistant secretary for health. Means’ brother Calley, meanwhile, has been widely discussed as Kennedy’s likely chief of staff.
Trump advisers are also considering two physicians who gained prominence for their vocal criticism of the government’s pandemic response for top jobs, the people briefed on the discussions said. Johns Hopkins surgeon Marty Makary is the team’s primary target for FDA commissioner, while Stanford University physician and economist Jay Bhattacharya has emerged as a leading candidate to head the National Institutes of Health. Makary has called for overhauling the FDA’s leadership and culture, and praised Kennedy’s focus on challenging long-held food and health care standards that he blames for contributing to chronic disease. Bhattacharya has similarly advocated for major shakeups of the health department and argued that top NIH officials hold too much influence within the agency.
The top officials of a government agency have “too much influence” within the agency. Jesus, pass the organic carrots. I just don’t care anymore.
