To make matters worse, the FDA has refused to conduct or require testing for harmful bacteria. Women who are pregnant, nursing, or of childbearing age, as well as young children, should avoid eating certain fish. It has long been established that large, long-lived fish that feed on smaller fish accumulate the highest levels of methyl mercury in their systems. These fish include shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. As a result, these fish should be avoided by pregnant women and women of childbearing age who may become pregnant because of concern that methyl mercury may harm an unborn baby's developing brain and nervous system.
Contaminated eggs are real killers.
Each year, contaminated eggs kill more than 300 people and sicken 600,000 more. The FDA and egg suppliers are working on new labels, warnings, tests and processing measures to ensure that the eggs that make it to market are as safe as possible. Food labeling that is inadequate or misleading can be quite harmful on its own. There are several areas in which in adequate or misleading labeling practices may be doing as much, or more, harm than contaminated foods. The danger with inadequate or misleading labels is that the problems they are associated with are long term health risks which are often discovered after the damage has been done.