Changes at FDA

The Wall Street Journal has this article detailing how the FDA is now ready to ask more authority. From the story;

The Food and Drug Administration, following a series of recent food scares, for the first time in years will likely seek additional powers to police food safety.
Assistant FDA Commissioner David Acheson told a House subcommittee that his agency lacks the needed authority now and may request such power in a new food-safety proposal. An FDA spokesman declined to elaborate what the new authorities will be, but says the plan will be announced in four to six weeks.
In his testimony, Dr. Acheson, the FDA's point man to draft the plan, said it will include three pieces: a proactive approach to prevent contamination, a risk-based inspection system to focus on troublesome products and a faster response system to contamination. The plan, if enacted, would reflect a strategic shift inside the agency away from the FDA's traditional method of reacting to crises.
Later...
The Democratic majority has proposed to fix the system, instead, through overhauls such as establishing a single-food agency, giving the FDA new recall authority and allowing the agency to charge importers user fees to fund food inspection. A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee will hold a hearing on the user-fee legislation today.
Later....
There are signs of a shift. While the FDA's parent agency, Department of Health and Human Services, rebuked the agency's proposal to regulate produce this year, the HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt now heads the White House's panel on imports. His recent proposal to overhaul the import system is similar in many respects to Dr. Acheson's food-safety plan. The food industry also came out to support such a risk-based, preventive approach.


TK: The three elements of the FDA plan bear some further explanation. What is a proactive approach to prevent contamination? What is a risk based inspection system to focus on "troublesome products"? How will the FDA deliver a faster response to contamination? How will Congress respond to the request for more authority?

Besides this story, the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group also brings this stories to the board this morning:

Customs brokers voice concerns at annual meeting Luis writes:At their annual meeting, custom brokers have voiced concern about proposed food import safety legislation like Rep. John Dingell's Food and Drug Import Safety Act of 2007 and Department of Homeland Security Global Data Exchange initiative. FOOD IMPORT SAFETY: The Need For A Practical Risk-Based Approach http://www.ncbfaa.org/About/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2168
DHS' Proposed Data Warehouse: The Global Trade Data Exchange (GTX) http://www.ncbfaa.org/About/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2360


Child's kidneys fail as E. coli outbreak continues Big Apple posts this link to story of Indiana E. coli outbreak.