McLean, VA – The Food Processing Suppliers Association announces the long awaited report issued by the Institute of Medicine entitled “Enhancing Food Safety: The Role of the Food and Drug Administration.”
The report acknowledges that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for overseeing approximately 80% of the U.S. food supply, including all produce, seafood and cheeses. It also states that foodborne diseases caused by bacteria such as E. Coli or Salmonella, in addition to viruses, parasites and chemicals, lead to 76 million foodborne illnesses each year in the United States. Of those cases, serious illnesses lead to 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.
The report also cites that the FDA's approach to food safety, "…continues to be reactive, lacking a systemic focus on prevention" and in part, suggests that the FDA needs to use a risk-based approach to evaluate food safety problems. The report recommends that the FDA should implement strategic planning, data sharing, hazard prioritization and select policy interventions.
Additionally, the report calls upon the federal government to establish a centralized food safety data center outside of the regulatory agencies to collect information and conduct rapid, sophisticated assessments of food safety risks and appropriate policy interventions.
“The FPSA membership is committed to continued advancement of food processing and packaging equipment to help ensure the safe production of the country’s food supply,” said David Seckman, President & CEO of the Food Processing Suppliers Association. “We applaud this study as an honest assessment of how the FDA and the food processing and packaging industry can work together to ensure the safety of the nation’s food products,” he continued.
For more information about the recently released study, download the pdf.
