The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "food regulations" ...
-
A rampant prescription, a hidden peril
The series investigated nursing homes’ use of antipsychotic medications on the elderly, a practice the US Food and Drug and Administration has long warned against because of potentially fatal side effects in people with dementia. The Boston Globe analyzed data from 15,600 nursing homes nationwide and found that about 185,000 residents received antipsychotics in 2010 alone, despite not having a medical condition that warranted such use. The series also revealed that Massachusetts nursing homes commonly use antipsychotics to control agitation and combative behavior in elderly residents who should not be receiving the powerful sedatives, yet state regulators seldom use their authority to reprimand or penalize facilities for this practice.
Tags: Antipsychotics; FDA; nursing homes; Alzheimer's disease
-
The Evidence Gap
The nations' medical bill last year exceeded $2.7 trillin -- nearly as much as the projected total cost of the Iraq war. If it were medical money well spend, there might be few cries to "reform" the American health care system. But by some estimates, one-third or more of the medical care received by patients in this country may be virtually worthless. The nation is wasting hundreds of billions of dollars each year on superfluous treatments -- money that otherwise could by spent, for example , on providing health insurance for every child, woman and man int his country who currently have no coverage. A team of science and business reporters from The New York Times set out to explain how and why the United States is spending so much on health care with so relatively little to show for the money, They discovered a gaping chasm between scientific evidence and the practice of medicine. In an in-depth series of articles, told through real doctors and patients, and based on information they dug up that was frequently unflattering to medical providers, companies and regulators, the Times team documented many disturbing instances of "The Evidence Gap."
Tags: health care; CT angiograms; Avastin; cancer treatment; reckless spending; Food and Drug Administration; mammograms
-
Chemical Fallout
"The reporters exposed inept government programs that favor chemical makers over the needs of the public. They detailed conflicts of interest among regulators and uncovered new hidden threats for consumers. The newspaper tested common household plastics billed as "microwave safe" and found toxic levels of chemicals leaching from every item tested."
Tags: chemicals; toxins; public safety; government protection; bisphenol A; Environmental Protection Agency; Food and Drug Administration;
-
Catering Expensive Taste
The Memphis City Schools' nutrition department was found to have little regulation over questionable spending, wasting food and providing employees and public officials free food for private events.
Tags: audit; taxpayer funds; school board; school district; cuisine; nutrition; meals;
-
Food Safety
This investigation delved into the safety of imported and domestically-produced food and deciciencies in federal oversight of food industry. Reporters found that the FDA inspects only 1% of the imported food it regulates. And during the previous five years, food imports hve risen 50%, btu the number of FDA food inspectors has dropped 20%. The investigation focused in particular of food impoted from China.
Tags: food; imports; FDA; regulation; federal government; consumer health
-
Web of Deceit
Through the experiences of a couple which arranged an adoption with a pregnant woman they met online, Dateline NBC examines how such an arrangement can easily be a scam. These situations are "unevenly regulated and potentially risky for all involved." In this case, the couple was "given false promises of a baby to adopt in exchange for hundreds of dollars that they believed were paying for the pregnant woman's rent and food." But through public records, it was found that the woman was using a false name, "and careful surveillance showed she was lying about many other critical aspects of her life." Also, "Dateline was able to determine that the same woman had also duped at least five other families." The woman was eventually charged with a felony.
Tags: adoption; Internet scams; misrepresentation; false pregnancy
-
Organic Inc: Natural Foods and How They Grew
This book traces organic food back to its anti-industrial origins more than a century ago. It describes the evolution of the organic food movement from then to the $11 billion industry it is today. The book shows how the evolving industry came close to betraying the ideals at the heart of its free-market success; this section includes battles over USDA regulations and the way food is produced.
Tags: agriculture; farming; groceries; grocery stores; USDA; FDA; fruits; vegetables
-
The Mercury Menace
The reporters investigated supermarkets throughout the Chicago area that routinely sell seafood highly contaminated with mercury, a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities in children and neurological problems in adults. The Tribune commissioned mercury testing of random samples of fish from markets across Chicago.
Tags: mercury; fish; seafood; toxic; food regulations; learning disabilities; FDA
-
Heart Devices
This story explains how corporate and regulatory policies prevented doctors and patients from learning critical information about defects in heart devices such as defibrillators and pacemakers.
Tags: hearts; Food and Drug Administration; FDA; defibrillators; pacemakers; heart disease; regulation; health; healthcare
-
The Mercury Menace
The authors investigated supermarkets throughout the Chicago area that are routinely selling seafood that is highly contaminated with mercury, a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities in children and neurological problems in adults. The Tribune commissioned mercury testing of random samples of fish from markets across Chicago.
Tags: mercury; fish; seafood; toxic; food regulations; learning disabilities; FDA