FDA Pulls Back On Safety Inspections For Foreign Food, Blames Staffing Cuts

ProPublica reports the vast majority of the nation’s seafood and more than half of its fresh fruit come from foreign markets, which have been increasingly linked to outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. The FDA has seen the loss of 1 in 5 of its workers responsible for ensuring America’s food and drug safety.

ProPublica: Foreign Food Safety Inspections Hit Historic Low After Trump Cuts

American inspections of foreign food facilities — which produce everything from crawfish to cookies for the U.S. market — have plummeted to historic lows this year, a ProPublica analysis of federal data shows, even as inspections reveal alarming conditions at some manufacturers. About two dozen current and former Food and Drug Administration officials blame the pullback on deep staffing cuts under the Trump administration. (Waldman and Roberts, 11/6)

BBC: Afghanistan Opium Crop Falls Sharply After Taliban Ban

Opium farming in Afghanistan has dropped significantly following a ban imposed by the Taliban government in 2022, the United Nations said. The total area of land for growing opium poppy shrank 20% since last year, while the amount of opium has fallen by 32% over the same period, the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime said in a survey. Afghanistan used to produce more than 80% of the world's opium, with heroin made from Afghan opium making up 95% of the market in Europe. (Bell and Limaye, 11/6)

Phys.org: The World's Healthiest Countries Aren't The Richest, Study Finds

Wealth alone doesn't make a nation healthy, according to new collaborative research from the University of Surrey and its international partners, which ranks 38 OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries on their progress toward global health goals. The study, published in Annals of Operations Research, shows that some of the world's wealthiest nations, including the United States and Canada, lag behind smaller economies in achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3)—ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. Meanwhile, countries such as Iceland, Japan and Norway lead the way, supported by robust health systems and equitable access to care. (Gould, 11/5)

The New York Times: Attacked By Swarm Of Wasps, American Father And Son Die In Laos

Daniel Owen, 47, and his son, Cooper, 15, died after being stung dozens of times last month by what appeared to be so-called murder hornets. (Cave and Wee, 11/5)

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