Dr. David Acheson

David W.K. Acheson, M.D., F.R.C.P, is a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Associate Commissioner for Foods, which gave him an agency-wide leadership role for all food and feed issues, including health promotion and nutrition. From August 2009

Will FSMA Make a Difference?

To answer the question of whether the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) will make a difference, I want to take a look historically at why FSMA ever got passed by

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 6 Oct 2015

Can a Top-Level Federal Food Safety Assessment Really Be Accurate?

(This opinion piece by Dr. David Acheson was published here on Feb. 14, 2015, and is reposted with his permission.) Historically, FDA and FSIS have not been really cooperative when

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 17 Feb 2015

Prolonged Procrastination on Petitions Compounds Agencies’ Problems

(This blog post by Dr. David Acheson was published June 12, 2014, on The Acheson Group blog and is republished here with his permission.) On May 25, 2011, the Center

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 17 Jun 2014

Are All Salmonella Created Equal?

With each passing poultry-associated Salmonella outbreak over the past few years, there has been an increased focus on this pathogen and its control. Along with that is an increasing use

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 7 Mar 2014

Determining the “High Risk Foods”: Another Analysis Sees Things Differently

The numbers say that the most outbreaks and illnesses are attributable to produce, but, in reality, fruits and vegetables are really quite safe. How can this be? A new report

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 8 Apr 2013

Third-Party Audits – Their Crucial Role in Moving Forward With FSMA and Food Safety

I recently had the honor of speaking at the 2012 Safe Quality Food International Conference in Cincinnati on the topic of the crucial role of third-party audits in moving forward

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 27 Nov 2012

A Call to Industry: Educate the Media to Educate the Consumer

Pink Slime vs. lean, finely textured beef. Photos of rats with tumors vs. scientists disputing study methods. Conventionally grown produce vs. local and/or organically grown. Each has been the

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 31 Oct 2012

FSMA Delay Spurs Curious Partnerships and Regulation Pleas

In an industry traditionally anxious to be self policing and oppose regulation, the tide has turned. The first evidence of this was in 2006 after the large E. coli O157:

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 11 Sep 2012

Should the Microbiological Data Program Be Saved?

After nearly being chopped from existence, the USDA’s Microbiological Data Program (MDP) has been saved for the remainder of 2012. However its future existence is questionable. MDP is a

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 26 Jul 2012

FSMA Related Import Programs Taking Shape

Everyone with even a cursory interest in FSMA continues to ask, “So when are the four key proposed rules (Produce Safety Standards, Preventive Controls for Human Food, Preventive Controls for

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 19 Jun 2012

Today: Walmart, Kroger, Primus. Tomorrow: You?

Last week, Jensen Farms, the grower of the cantaloupe implicated in the Listeria outbreak of 2011, filed for bankruptcy. Prominently listed in the filing were lawsuits associated with the outbreak,

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 9 Jun 2012

Facility Profiling: A Benefit or Putting Food Makers in the Cross Hairs?

FDA would like food/feed facilities to voluntarily submit additional profile information through the Food Facility Registration Module – and wants to know what you think. In a Federal Register Notice,

By Dr. David Acheson

/ 28 May 2012

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Dr. David Acheson

Will FSMA Make a Difference?

Can a Top-Level Federal Food Safety Assessment Really Be Accurate?

Prolonged Procrastination on Petitions Compounds Agencies’ Problems

Are All Salmonella Created Equal?

Determining the “High Risk Foods”: Another Analysis Sees Things Differently

Third-Party Audits – Their Crucial Role in Moving Forward With FSMA and Food Safety

A Call to Industry: Educate the Media to Educate the Consumer

FSMA Delay Spurs Curious Partnerships and Regulation Pleas

Should the Microbiological Data Program Be Saved?

FSMA Related Import Programs Taking Shape

Today: Walmart, Kroger, Primus. Tomorrow: You?

Facility Profiling: A Benefit or Putting Food Makers in the Cross Hairs?