A pair of Senate and House lawmakers have introduced a bill that would create a new food safety agency. It would be a byproduct of the Food and Drug Administration‘s functions, and housed under the Department of Health and Human Services
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin and House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rose DeLauro’s Food Safety Administration Act would move FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Regulatory Affairs, and Center for Veterinary Medicine into a new Food Safety Administration.
In a statement, DeLauro told Agri-Pulse, “Food safety is currently a second-class citizen at the Food and Drug Administration. Right now, there are no food policy experts in charge of food safety at FDA. That is unacceptable and contributes to a string of product contaminations and subsequent recalls that disrupt the supply chain, contribute to rising prices, and in many cases, result in consumer illness and death.”
The FDA is responsible for 80 percent of the nation’s food supply and Durbin said the Administration has been “plagued by one failure after another.”
The introduced legislation would require a Senate-confirmed leader’s oversight, which is something the pair argue will strengthen the food supply’s oversight.
Related:
Keep safety in mind when canning this year
USDA working to boost not just food security, but nutritional security
War is impacting Ukraine’s food supply and the world’s food security
Story via Spencer Chase with Agri-Pulse
