Congress Tells FDA No on Lab Closures
August 1st, 2007 admin
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to consolidate testing labs, a move that would close nearly half, but Congress has found a way to squash that plan. Last Tuesday, lawmakers on a panel investigating the FDA’s poor track record of policing food and drugs were incensed that the agency would consider closing labs at time when food poisoning reports have reached an all-time high. As it is, the existing labs are stretched to the limit, with the FDA inspecting only 1-percent of the goods under its oversight. Well, now Congress is considering a spending bill that would prohibit the FDA from closing labs. The bill withholds funds to be used for the closures unless the FDA can prove that the plan would offer American consumers more protection from tainted food or defective drugs. Despite repeated demands from Congress, the FDA has yet to prove that any lab closures would benefit the public.












