Just ahead of the anticipated appointment of an FDA commissioner by President Donald J. Trump, there’s a bit of a buzz about a new candidate who is the fourth to be seriously considered for the job of regulating more than $1 trillion of annual economic activity. All the candidates for FDA commissioner are focused on the processes… Continue Reading
Food safety in 2017 will be dependent on our “complicated bureaucracies” that exist to get through transitions and times of change. Both USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are sure to be taking many “business as usual” actions in January. Confucius taught the Ancient Chinese bureaucracies… Continue Reading
A new survey of 32 leading grocery chains about their in-store recall notification practices reveals policies so “woefully inadequate” that consumers may or may not hear about recalled food items, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should move quickly to adopt a standardized recall notification system as required by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). That’s… Continue Reading
ST. LOUIS — Neither of the top U.S. food cops on stage here had the moves of Mick Jagger, but they borrowed the sentiment from one of The Stones’ greatest hits when they summed up federal progress on the food safety front. “You can’t always get what you want,” Jagger said in 1969. But, if… Continue Reading
Opinion
Editor’s note: The Food and Drug Administration posted this “FDA Voice” column July 14 under the title “Charting a Path Forward on Food Safety, Nutrition and Animal Health.” It was co-authored by Stephen Ostroff, deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine; Susan Mayne, director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; and Tracey Forfa, acting director… Continue Reading
Opinion
Editor’s note: This interview with Stephen Ostroff was originally published by FDA on June 2, 2016. Stephen Ostroff, M.D. is the FDA’s new Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine (FVM). He succeeds Michael R. Taylor, who became the first deputy commissioner for the FVM program in 2010. Dr. Ostroff served as acting FDA commissioner from… Continue Reading
It’s an oft-heard statement from officials at the Food and Drug Administration: The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires sufficient funding allocated by Congress in order to be a success. The testimony that Acting FDA Commissioner Stephen Ostroff and Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine Michael Taylor gave before the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday… Continue Reading