Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) recently introduced the Food Safety Administration Act to remove food safety oversight functions from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The bill would establish the Food Safety Administration under the Department of Health and Human Services and remove existing food programs within FDA. Leadership appointments would require Senate confirmation. The bill does not include the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
“Right now, there are no food policy experts in charge of food safety at the FDA,” DeLauro said in a statement.
“That is unacceptable and contributes to a string of product contaminations and subsequent recalls that disrupt the supply chain, contribute to rising prices and, in many cases, result in consumer illness and death.”
