Driving the Fox from the Henhouse Improving Oversight of Food Safety at the FDA and USDA

The report details the implementation of a survey conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and Iowa State University's Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology (CSSM) to examine the role of science and government oversight in food safety. It outlines the sampling process for 8,122 employees across the FDA, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and USDA Agriculture Research Service (ARS), the data collection procedures used between March and May 2010, and the resulting response rate of 21.62%. The document also includes the full survey instrument, which investigates political interference in science, job satisfaction, and the influence of business interests on public health decisions.

• The final eligible sample for the survey consisted of 7,911 individuals, with a total of 1,710 responses received, resulting in an overall response rate of 21.62%.
• Response rates varied by agency, with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) showing the highest participation at 33.73%, followed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) at 22.30% and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at 19.27%.
• The survey sample was composed of 4,995 FSIS employees, 2,874 FDA employees, and 253 ARS employees, totaling 8,122 records.
• Data collection was hindered by inconsistent agency support; while the FSIS eventually confirmed the survey was legitimate, some FDA directors initially labeled it an "unsanctioned survey," which led some employees to believe they should not participate.
• The survey instrument was designed to measure several specific areas of scientific integrity, including requests to "inappropriately exclude or alter technical information," the use of "incomplete, inaccurate or misleading information," and the influence of "business interests" on public health.

APA

Larson, J., & Nusser, S. (2010). Driving the Fox from the Henhouse Improving Oversight of Food Safety at the FDA and USDA. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/food-safety-survey-methodology.pdf

Chicago

Larson, JM, and SM Nusser. Driving the Fox from the Henhouse Improving Oversight of Food Safety at the FDA and USDA. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2010. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/food-safety-survey-methodology.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Larson |first1=JM |last2=Nusser |first2=SM |title=Driving the Fox from the Henhouse Improving Oversight of Food Safety at the FDA and USDA |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=29 July 2010 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/food-safety-survey-methodology.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{larson2010driving, author = {Larson, JM and Nusser, SM}, title = {{Driving the Fox from the Henhouse Improving Oversight of Food Safety at the FDA and USDA}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2010}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/food-safety-survey-methodology.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }