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Food for Thought

An Investigation of Food and Drug Administration Reporting Practices, 1995-1999

University of South Florida

Ronald G. Burns

Texas Christian University

Jefferson E. Holcomb

Bowling Green State University

Criminologists and criminal justice researchers have neglected the behavior of regulatory agencies. Furthering the goal of focusing on the behavior of regulatory agencies, this article analyzes the reporting practices of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its activities as found in two publications produced by that agency: FDA Enforcement Report, its official data report, and FDA Consumer, a public information magazine. Results suggest that the FDA uses these mediums to construct different images of its activities. The authors examine reasons why the FDA engages in image management and the differences across different FDA publications. The authors also introduce the idea of public health justice to identify the social control concerns of agencies ostensibly charged with protecting the public’s health.

Key Words: FDA • social construction • image • public health justice • regulation

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