President Barack Obama used his weekly address from the Whitehouse to call attention to food safety in the United States.
“…[I]n recent years, we’ve seen a number of problems with the food making its way to our kitchen tables…Part of the reason is that many of the laws and regulations governing food safety in America have not been updated since they were written in the time of Teddy Roosevelt. It’s also because our system of inspection and enforcement is spread out so widely among so many people that it’s difficult for different parts of our government to share information, work together, and solve problems. And it’s also because the FDA has been underfunded and understaffed in recent years, leaving the agency with the resources to inspect just 7,000 of our 150,000 food processing plants and warehouses each year. That means roughly 95% of them go uninspected.
That is a hazard to public health. It is unacceptable.”
President Obama announced the formation of a Food Safety Working Group, a multi-agency task force meant to revise and update food safety laws and their enforcement by the U.S. government. He also announced “…a billion dollar investment…” meant for improving food inspection and testing.
Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Hamburg, President Obama’s appointment for Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will be a co-chair of the Working Group. Dr. Joshua Sharfstein was simultaneously appointed for the Principal Deputy Commissioner position.
What do you think of President Obama’s address? Will the Working Group, his new appointments and new funding pledge fix the recent food safety problems experienced in the United States?
