A new report initiated by Congress states that the Food and Drug Administration requires organizational changes in order to ensure the safety of food in the U.S.
The 500-page report was provided by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. These agencies belong to the independent National Academies, which were charged by Congress in 2008 to study potential flaws in the FDA’s food safety system.
The FDA monitors about 80 percent of the U.S. food supply including seafood, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. The report states that the FDA oversees 150,000 food facilities, more than one million restaurants, and more than two million farms. The Department of Agriculture is responsible for oversight of the remaining 20 percent of food products including meat, poultry, and some egg products.
Robert Wallace, who chairs the committee that delivered the report, said the FDA needs to focus much more attention on the prevention of illness with risky foods. Currently, he said, the FDA is too reactionary.
The report’s recommendations include many measures already established within food safety legislation passed by the House last year on the heels of numerous contamination outbreaks. Recent outbreaks included salmonella in alfalfa sprouts and E. Coli in lettuce. Legislation on the matter, however, is still currently held up in the Senate.
Currently, the FDA is unable to issue a mandatory recall of food. Many view this as a major hurdle for food safety, along with harsher guidelines for food processors. The report recommends a requirement that all food processors must register with the FDA, and that all food processors found to have inadequate standards be visited by FDA inspectors at least annually.
The report states that until the FDA is able to effectively identify the key threats to the U.S. food system, it will be unable to identify appropriate resources and establish a systemic plan that can provide improved results for food safety.
The FDA, which sponsored the report, has not been shy about admitting that it has shortcomings. In fact the FDA is publicly welcoming legislation that will empower it to do a better job. FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg said the newly created Office of Foods (August 2009) and newly appointed Deputy Commissioner for Foods Michael R. Taylor (January 2010) will play key roles in implanting new policies and procedures at the FDA.
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