US: Bill to reorganise FDA

The Obama Administration and Congress are looking into ways to improve the food safety system.

“The push for change is urgent and the time is now,” says Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, (D-Conn.), House Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration Appropriations subcommittee chairwoman.

According to reports, DeLauro has sponsored a House bill called Food Safety and Modernization Act. DeLauro also stated that it would separate the FDA into two agencies – one for drugs and one for food safety.

Small farmers

“We are conscious of the needs of small farms and the strains they already face. The legislation addresses foods under FDA jurisdiction only – and not the USDA. And it does not include mandatory animal identification,” says DeLauro.

“We included technical assistance for small farmers to help them comply with the law while targeting the large, high-volume food processing facilities that pose the highest risk to the food safety system,” says DeLauro.
Small farms would need to develop their own food safety plan and identify critical control points, she further stated.