Irresponsible, not really, though surely inconsistent. Usually the FDA holds off on recalls until people or animals have died and even then the FDA moves as quickly as a wounded snail.
China has branded a U.S. warning against using its toothpaste as irresponsible, saying low levels of diethylene glycol (DEG) were not harmful.Maybe this means the FDA is going to be more proactive with food safety from all sources, though probably not. This break from consumers-as-guinea-pigs is a major step for the FDA though perhaps China is overlooking the administration's interest in China-bashing. The Chinese official does provide a glimpse into the level of standards that are set for export quality though he was no doubt confused by the existing criteria set by the FDA which is not clear to anyone outside of the FDA.
"So far we have not received any report of death resulting from using the toothpaste. The U.S. handling (of this case) is neither scientific nor responsible," China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said in a statement posted on its Web site over the weekend.
