*???Food Act of 2001 (S. 1501) establishes the Food Safety Administration within the executive branch, with the administrator of Food Safety appointed by the president with consent from the Senate. All functions now performed by other agencies relating to the administration or enforcement of the food safety laws will be transferred to the new agency. Personnel, assets, and funds from the other agencies used for food safety also would be transferred. This would primarily involve the U.S. Deptartment of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, the part of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service that administers the Seafood Program, and any other offices, agencies, or services designated by the president to carry out the act. According to bill sponsors, the safety and security of the U.S. food supply require efficient and effective management of regulations, and the current system is facing tremendous pressures.
Reaction to single food agency There was mixed reaction among food industry and consumer groups to the idea of a single food safety agency as proposed in the Safe Food Act. Both Grocery Manufacturers of America and National Food Processors Assn. felt steps should be taken to strengthen the existing food safety system rather than through what GMA described as a “radical restructuring” of agencies charged with food safety responsibilities. GMA president C. Manly Molpus said GMA believes “the system is not broken but needs nourishment.” NFPA president John R. Cady told a senate government affairs subcommittee that the current regulatory system for food safety is sufficient to meet new challenges and that what is needed is a single food policy rather than a single food agency. The Food Marketing Institute had a different take. FMI president Tim Hammonds told the same senate subcommittee that the current food safety guidelines are ill equipped to deal with today’s challenges. There are more than 35 laws governing food safety, and their patchwork nature spread among some 12 agencies creates inconsistencies, gaps, overlaps, and duplication. At the same time, FMI supports designating a single food agency, not creating an entirely new one. Resources, responsibilities, and authority would be centralized in one of the existing agencies. The Center for Science in the Public Interest strongly supported the Safe Food Act and the establishment of a single food safety agency. CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., told senators his organization would also support a parallel and equally essential effort to develop a unified food-safety statute.
Labeling approval for anthrax drugs The FDA approved new labeling for the use of doxycycline to treat anthrax, and is developing more information about the use of this and other antibiotics to treat the disease. The new labeling is designed to offer healthcare providers clarification and additional information on appropriate dosages of doxycycline, which is approved to treat both cutaneous and inhalation anthrax. The current recommended dosage for severe affliction is 100 mg every 12 hours for adults and 1 mg per pound (2.2 mg per kilogram) for children under 100 pounds. FDA strongly discourages anyone from taking any antibiotic to prevent anthrax without the specific advice of a doctor and a clear indication of exposure to the disease.
Formal petition on food allergen labeling CSPI formally petitioned FDA on October 4, 2001, to require food labels to disclose common allergens and to set manufacturing standards to prevent the inadvertent contamination of nonallergenic foods with allergens. The group said “the time is up” for relying on voluntary efforts by food manufacturers and that companies should be required to disclose common allergens “using plain English and legible format.” The petition noted that FDA has ample authority to take these actions. A similar petition was filed in May 2000 by the attorneys general of New York, Maryland, Michigan, Wyoming, Ohio, Tennessee, Connecticut, Vermont, and Massachusetts, but FDA so far has taken no formal action. The food industry, led by NFPA, has been developing a set of voluntary guidelines for allergen disclosure and manufacturing practices to prevent contamination.
