FDA Food Safety Progress Report Published After Much Criticism
December 2nd, 2008 laurie
Battling the backlash that it has done a poor job safeguarding the nation’s food supply, the FDA released a report Monday detailing its efforts to protect consumers. The report details the long-awaited implementation of the Food Protection Plan to protect both domestic and imported food from accidental and intentional contamination.
“Science and 21st century technologies help drive the FDA’s efforts to transform our food safety efforts from the Food Protection Plan into a reality,” said Commissioner of Food and Drugs Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D. “Every day, the FDA is working with foreign countries, state and local governments, regulated industry and consumer groups to ensure the safety of the food supply. We also continue to work with members of Congress to achieve new authorities requested in the Food Protection Plan.”
Meanwhile, American consumers are left suffering from the FDA’s neglect over the past year. From the ongoing melamine concerns originating from China to salmonella peppers grown in Mexico, consumers in the U.S. aren’t wrong to wonder where the FDA’s priorities truly lie. And let’s not forget the E. coli outbreaks grown and bred right here at home.
On the FDA’s list of progress in response to outbreaks which could have been prevented if the FDA had done its job:
- The FDA is working with industry and the public to identify best practices for tracing fresh produce throughout the supply chain.
- The FDA hired two emergency /complaint-response coordinators to improve its response to emergencies that involve animal feed, including pet food.
- Following the detection of melamine in infant formula and milk products from China, the FDA worked with its state and local counterparts to rapidly canvas over 2,100 vendors of Asian products to remove any Chinese infant formula from the market and to sample milk-derived Chinese products to check for melamine contamination. The FDA also provided regular updates on its Web site, advising consumers which products to avoid because of melamine contamination.
- The FDA held regular briefing calls for consumer organizations during the outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul in the summer of 2008, and regularly updated a Web page that provided information on the investigation into the outbreak, and advised consumers how they could protect themselves and their families.
- The FDA has signed cooperative agreements with six U.S. states to form a Rapid Response Team to develop, implement, exercise, and integrate an all-hazards response capability for food and foodborne illness responses, to react more rapidly react to potential threats to our food supply.
- After reports from China of melamine-contaminated infant formula, the FDA worked with its state and local counterparts to quickly canvas over 2,100 Asian markets to remove any infant formula from China that might be available and to sample milk-derived products to check for melamine contamination.
Scary to think what next year’s “progress report” might look like.
