FDA on defense

The Washington Post has published a story today by Elizabeth Williamson headlined "FDA Was Aware of Dangers To Food", with a tagline "Outbreaks Were Not Preventable, Officials Say."

As she describes the warning signs the FDA had about both the peanut butter salmonella contamination and the E. coli pathogen linked spinach outbreaks, Williamson notes the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing tomorrow. Among those interviewed include Bob Brackett of the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

From the story:

In a letter sent to California growers in late 2005, Brackett wrote, "FDA is aware of 18 outbreaks of foodborne illness since 1995 caused by [E. coli bacteria] for which fresh or fresh-cut lettuce was implicated. . . . In one additional case, fresh-cut spinach was implicated. These 19 outbreaks account for approximately 409 reported cases of illness and two deaths."
"We know that there are still problems out in those fields," Brackett said in an interview last week. "We knew there had been a problem, but we never and probably still could not pinpoint where the problem was. We could have that capability, but not at this point."

TK: The FDA will not have an easy day tomorrow. Below is the witness list:

The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on Tuesday, April 24, 2007, at 9:30 a.m. in room 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled A Diminished Capacity: Can the FDA Assure the Safety and Security of the Nation's Food Supply?

This hearing is part of the Committee's broader investigation into the safety of our nation's food supply and the declining ability of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct inspections and perform laboratory analysis. The hearing will focus on the recent contamination of pet food, peanut butter and spinach. Witnesses will include victims of food borne illnesses resulting from the outbreaks as well as representatives from the companies responsible for producing the contaminated products.


WITNESS LIST

Panel I
Ms. Elizabeth Armstrong
Accompanied by
Ashley and Isabella Armstrong
Indiana

Mr. Gary Pruden
Accompanied by Sea nPruden
Pennsylvania

Ms. Terri Marshall
Louisiana

Panel II
Dr. Anthony DeCarlo
Red Bank Veterinary Hospital
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724

Mr. Charles Sweat
President
Natural Selection Foods
1721 San Juan Hwy
San Juan Bautista, CA 95405

Mr. Paul K. Henderson
Chief Executive Officer
Menu Foods Income Fund
8 Falconer Drive
Streetsville, Ontario L5N IB1
Canada

Ms. Lisa Shames
Acting Director
Natural Resources and Environment
U.S. Government Accountability Office
441 G Street NW, Room 2T23A
Washington, DC 20548

Panel III

Mr. David Colo
Senior Vice President - Manufacturing
ConAgra Foods, Inc.
5 ConAgra Drive
Omaha, NE 68102

Mr. Stephen S. Miller
Chief Executive Officer
ChemNutra, Inc.
810 S. Durango Drive, Suite 102
Las Vegas, NY 89145