Driving the Fox from the Henhouse

The Union of Concerned Scientists conducted a survey of 1,710 FDA and USDA employees to investigate scientific integrity in the U.S. food safety system. The findings reveal significant levels of political and corporate interference, with 34% of respondents reporting at least one incident of political interference in the past year. Nearly half of respondents reported that public health was harmed by businesses withholding safety information. While employees generally expressed job satisfaction and believed agencies were moving in the right direction, they highlighted a critical lack of resources at the FDA and a fragmented regulatory structure. The report argues for executive branch reforms to protect scientists and legislative updates to grant agencies more authority, such as mandated recalls and enhanced import surveillance.

• A significant portion of surveyed FDA and USDA employees reported experiencing political interference in their scientific work over the past year, including requests to alter technical information or provide misleading data to the public.
• Corporate and political outside influence is perceived as widespread, with nearly half of respondents reporting that public health has been compromised by businesses withholding food safety information from investigators.
• There is a stark disparity in resources between the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the FDA, leaving the FDA unable to adequately inspect the vast majority of facilities under its jurisdiction.
• Employees with advanced degrees reported significant restrictions on their ability to communicate scientific research findings to the public and news media.
• Survey respondents expressed low confidence in the safety of imported foods compared to other food categories.
• There is strong internal support for several proposed food safety reforms, including mandatory science-based hazard analyses, increased FDA inspection frequency, and stronger whistleblower protections.
• The U.S. food safety system is characterized by a fragmented organizational structure that leads to regulatory inconsistencies.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2010). Driving the Fox from the Henhouse. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/driving-fox-from-henhouse-food-safety-report.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Driving the Fox from the Henhouse. 2010. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/driving-fox-from-henhouse-food-safety-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Driving the Fox from the Henhouse |date=September 2010 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/driving-fox-from-henhouse-food-safety-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2010driving, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Driving the Fox from the Henhouse}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2010}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/driving-fox-from-henhouse-food-safety-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }