children!

This same act prohibited “filthy, decomposed, or putrid animal or vegetable” material in food products. Admittedly, this applied only to items transported from out of state. If your groceries came from your own state, you were on your own.

Over time, amendments to that original law, court decisions, and new laws brought us to the expectations we as consumers have today:

• That manufacturer claims about food and medication are true

• That medications and medical devices are safe and effective

• That we can find information about the potential risks and side effects of a treatment

• That product labels are accurate

• That common allergens are identified

• That imported foods and medicines are held to the same standards as domestically produced products

• That ongoing monitoring of products occurs Still, the system is imperfect. There aren’t enough inspectors, and there isn’t enough post-market testing. Changes in drug manufacturing processes have introduced risky chemicals that go undetected for years. Contaminated foods sicken and kill before they are identified and pulled out of the food chain.

Concerningly, people are often unaware that many products aren’t regulated even to these imperfect standards. Herbal and nutritional supplements aren’t reviewed even for safety prior to sale. Most skin and hair care products are classified as cosmetics and can also be marketed without any FDA approval (sunscreen is an exception).

History has important lessons to teach us. Maybe I should be dragging my family along to those museums after all.

Debra Johnston, MD. is part of The Prairie Doc team of physicians and currently practices as a Family Medicine Doctor at Avera Medical Group in Brookings, South Dakota. Follow The Prairie Doc at www.prairiedoc.org, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Threads. Prairie Doc Programming includes On Call with the Prairie Doc, a medical Q&A show (most Thursdays at 7pm on SDPB and streaming on Facebook), 2 podcasts, and a Radio program (on SDPB), providing health information based on science, built on trust.