In just the past few months, outbreaks involving romaine lettuce, pre-cut melons and Honey Smacks cereal have reminded us that the work to more effectively prevent foodborne illness is far from complete. People are still getting sick and dying, and markets are still being disrupted. Make no mistake, the commitment and effort are there among…
FDA’s former top food cop now focused on food security
Editor’s note: Mike Taylor, who just left his post as deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine, sent this message to friends and colleagues June 8 and granted Food Safety News permission to reprint it here. Since I announced my plans to leave FDA, a number of you have asked what I will do next. …
Paving a path to safer produce via integration
Editor’s note: Michael R. Taylor is deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Stephen Ostroff, formerly FDA’s acting commissioner, has been named to succeed Taylor on June 1. The pair collaborated to write this FDA Blog entry. 
Ever since the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was enacted…
Blue Bell and the Very Real Impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act
(This article by Michael R. Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, was originally posted here on May 20, 2015.)
Could the deadly outbreak of illnesses tied to contaminated ice cream have been prevented? It’s an important question, one that is on the minds of many in
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The Future is Now for the Food Safety Modernization Act
We all knew FSMA was a big deal when Congress passed it a little over four years ago. After a decade of illness outbreaks, import safety problems, and market disruptions that shook consumer confidence and imposed billions of dollars in costs on the food system, Congress mandated a paradigm shift to prevention — to establishing…
From Wariness to Welcome: Engaging New England on Food Safety
(This blog post by Michael R. Taylor, FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine, was published Dec. 4, 2014, on FDA Voice. It is the first of two posts about state listening sessions on updates to four FDA rules proposed to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act.)
What a difference a year makes.
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Why FDA Needs FSMA Resources Now
(Editor’s note: The following is in response to “Experts Debate Whether Food Safety Funding is Adequate,” published April 24, 2014, on Food Safety News.) Two questions regarding the adequacy of food safety funding for the Food and Drug Administration were asked at last week’s National Food Policy Conference. …