Food Safety in a Free Society: Philosophy in Action Podcast

In the 30 September 2012 episode of Philosophy in Action Radio, I discussed food safety in a free society, and I thought it might be of interest. The question was:

How would the government protect the safety of food and drugs in a free society? Would the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) exist in free society? If so, would food or drugs have to gain FDA approval to be sold? Would it have the power to remove food or drugs deemed unsafe from the market? If not, what would protect consumers from harm due to adulterated or otherwise unsafe food or drugs?

My Answer, In Brief: The FDA violates rights: it should be abolished. The safety of food and drugs would be ensured in a free market by the profit-seeking of companies within the context of a legal system that bans fraud, torts, and other rights-violations.

Download or Listen to My Full Answer:

• Duration: 19:58
• Download: MP3 Segment

Tags: Ethics, Food, Free Society, Health, Law, Medicine, Torts Relevant Links:

• The Objective Standard: How the FDA Violates Rights and Hinders Health

To comment on this question or my answer, visit its comment thread. A podcast of the full episode – where I answered questions on greed in the NFL dispute with referees, a religious wedding for an atheist groom, preventing information overload, food safety in a free society, and more – is available as a podcast here: Episode of 30 September 2012. Philosophy in Action Radio broadcasts every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. For information on upcoming shows and more, visit the Episodes on Tap.