In response to a reduction in workforce at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a coalition of consumer, industry and public health stakeholder groups issued the following statement:
“Ensuring the safety of our nation’s food supply is a shared responsibility,” the coalition stated. “Food companies are committed to producing safe products. Maintaining safe, accessible, and affordable food is a fundamental public health priority and a key component of the Make America Healthy Again platform. An under-resourced food safety agency could jeopardize Secretary Kennedy’s stated objectives to improve nutrition and ingredient safety for children and adults. Adequate resources are critical not only for outbreak response but also for developing and updating food safety standards, providing science-based industry guidance, and ensuring a well-trained federal-state inspection force to protect the integrity of our food system.“
Members of the coalition are:
- American Frozen Food Institute
- Association of Food and Drug Officials
- Association of Public Health Laboratories
- Center for Science in the Public Interest
- Consumer Brands Association
- Consumer Federation of America
- Consumer Reports
- Council for Responsible Nutrition
- Global Cold Chain Alliance
- Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security, George Washington University
- International Dairy Foods Association
- STOP Foodborne Illness
- Darin Detwiler
- Bill Marler
- Jennifer McEntire
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