We are doing a story about the labeling confusion over the food you buy in your local supermarket. Consumers are a lot more aware of the international marketplace and the hazards it poses.  According to the FDA'S website, the government agency regulates $49 Billion dollars worth of imported food every year and every year it seizes shipments at the border because of various health hazards.

Click here for FDA Import Alerts. 

To find out more about the FDA's food plan click here.

Most recently consumers have become more concerned about products coming from China because of lack of control over manufacturing processes.

This raised awarness about safety concerns has also prompted calls for better labeling on products so that consumers can easily see the country of origin and make informed decisions about what they put on their tables.

We are not saying all imported food is unsafe or dangerous to eat. Just make the information readily available. We found there is little consistency in labeling and no requirements to list the source.

 Even when you call the customer service numbers listed on the products you can't always be assured of finding out the country of origin. However, some companies like Nestle "Juicy Juice" which had no information on the label had recorded information on it's product information line.

Listen to the company's recorded message to the below.

The FDA is overburdened and can't possibly be everywhere in every country checking every lot sample. Some manufacturers have their own quality control and while they may not make it abundantly clear on their labeling where the product is from they claim to have controls in place to ensure the food is safe.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association weighs in on foreign food safety in this release.

The Center for Science in The Public Interest weighs on foreign food labeling. 

Statistics from the FDA show that a decade ago show that it is inspecting half as many food imports as the agency did a decade ago.

 Number of FDA field investigators and number directed to food inspections: 1,317 and 625, respectively
• Volume of import products inspected by FDA (for all FDA-regulated products) for last decade (by fiscal year):

1997 - 1.5%
1998 - 0.9%
1999 - 0.7%
2000 - 0.5%
2001 - 0.4%
2002- 0.8%
2003 - 1.3%
2004 - 1.0%
2005 - 1.0%
2006 - 0.9%
2007 (estimated) - 0.7% or a total of 118,400 exams

 ROSS