Global Trade Watch, an anti-globalization watchdog group issued a report Wednesday charging that the Bush administration may be jeopardizing consumers as it presses Congress to approve free-trade agreements with countries with dubious food-safety records. Media accounts quoted the report as stating,

 "Passage of the pending (deals) would elevate, not lessen, the threat to the safety of the U.S. food supply. Contrary to what consumers believe, the vast majority of imported foods that end up on the dinner plates of U.S. consumers is unexamined and untested."

That’s because no one can test their way to a safe food supply. Testing is used to verify that processes such as HACCP are working as intended. But when trying to capitalize on the recent surge in food safety news, why bother with details.

And for concerned Americans? They are told to buy local, buy organic, which may be fine, except that organic and local have nothing to do with food safety; they are production systems. Whether you buy food from around the corner or around the globe, the onus is on the provider to provide data to substantiate claims of safety. Talk is nice. Show me the data.