New report outlines progress on Food Protection Plan
New report outlines progress on Food Protection Plan
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Food & Drug Administration updated its plan for reforming the agency's food-safety program in a Dec. 1 report, but consumer groups criticized the agency for not doing enough to stem the safety problems caused by domestic and imported foods.
Last November, FDA released its much-touted Food Protection Plan, which was launched to improve protections for domestic and imported food in the wake of reports of faulty Chinese imports. The Food Protection Plan signaled a move toward targeting high-risk foods, embracing third-party inspections and renewing its focus on protecting the lifecycle of foods.
"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," Commissioner of Food & Drugs Andrew von Eschenbach said when releasing the new report. "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."
There are scores of initiatives listed in the one-year progress report, but there are some that may have a direct effect on produce safety. FDA plans to hire an additional 130 inspectors; conduct a new assessment in northern Florida as part of its Tomato Safety Initiative; follow-up on its study that found a higher microbiological load in bagged lettuce; embrace its prototype electronic screening tool PREDICT for imports; and receive a report from a group contracted to review best industry practices for tracking and tracing foods.
With food safety legislation likely to be a front-burner issue among certain congressional committees next year, the nine-page report was met with criticisms from consumer groups and an FDA watchdog in Congress.
Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, said that the FDA needs a complete overhaul and must spend money on more frequent inspections of imports and domestic food suppliers. "While the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's new report on its current food-safety activities shows some progress, it is not enough to adequately protect the American food supply," the group said in a Dec. 1 press release.
"The agency is trying to put a positive spin on its broken regulatory framework, lack of leadership and inadequate resources by highlighting the slight progress made toward the objectives in their insufficient Food Protection Plan," Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who will have a say in FDA's budget and revamped food-safety legislation, said that the report falls short of proving the agency is turning around its ailing, science-based regulatory system. "While the FDA will contend that they are making progress on food safety, it is progress based on an outdated system and an outdated regulatory structure," Rep. DeLauro said in the statement.
"In order to achieve any real progress in protecting our food supply, the food-safety responsibilities under the current FDA need to be detached and made a separate agency under the Department of Health & Human Services," added Rep. DeLauro, who referred to a bill she introduced this year that would elevate the food program at FDA.
Last November, FDA released its much-touted Food Protection Plan, which was launched to improve protections for domestic and imported food in the wake of reports of faulty Chinese imports. The Food Protection Plan signaled a move toward targeting high-risk foods, embracing third-party inspections and renewing its focus on protecting the lifecycle of foods.
"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," Commissioner of Food & Drugs Andrew von Eschenbach said when releasing the new report. "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."
There are scores of initiatives listed in the one-year progress report, but there are some that may have a direct effect on produce safety. FDA plans to hire an additional 130 inspectors; conduct a new assessment in northern Florida as part of its Tomato Safety Initiative; follow-up on its study that found a higher microbiological load in bagged lettuce; embrace its prototype electronic screening tool PREDICT for imports; and receive a report from a group contracted to review best industry practices for tracking and tracing foods.
With food safety legislation likely to be a front-burner issue among certain congressional committees next year, the nine-page report was met with criticisms from consumer groups and an FDA watchdog in Congress.
Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, said that the FDA needs a complete overhaul and must spend money on more frequent inspections of imports and domestic food suppliers. "While the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's new report on its current food-safety activities shows some progress, it is not enough to adequately protect the American food supply," the group said in a Dec. 1 press release.
"The agency is trying to put a positive spin on its broken regulatory framework, lack of leadership and inadequate resources by highlighting the slight progress made toward the objectives in their insufficient Food Protection Plan," Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who will have a say in FDA's budget and revamped food-safety legislation, said that the report falls short of proving the agency is turning around its ailing, science-based regulatory system. "While the FDA will contend that they are making progress on food safety, it is progress based on an outdated system and an outdated regulatory structure," Rep. DeLauro said in the statement.
"In order to achieve any real progress in protecting our food supply, the food-safety responsibilities under the current FDA need to be detached and made a separate agency under the Department of Health & Human Services," added Rep. DeLauro, who referred to a bill she introduced this year that would elevate the food program at FDA.
