|
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Administration Takes Heat Over FDA Plans
Following up on the release of a scathing report on FDA resources, Bush administration officials testified before Congress today on their plans to reform FDA.
Congress was none too pleased with their plan to shift FDA's resources towards inspecting "high-risk" food, which would mean that many types of food wouldn't be inspected as much. The Wall Street Journal:
The plan requests that Congress give the Food and Drug Administration authority to impose preventive controls on "high-risk" products. Specifically, these are foods "that have been associated with repeated instances of serious health problems or death to humans or animals from unintentional contamination."
The plan would make it more difficult for the FDA to impose such rules, said Mike Taylor, a food-safety expert who worked in the administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Mr. Taylor testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which is reviewing the administration's plan.
"Essentially, this provision is a requirement that people be injured or even killed before the FDA can act," said Sen. Edward Kennedy (D., Mass.), who chairs the committee. "Such a requirement undermines the basic goal of preventing illness."
HHS secretary Mike Leavitt claimed that he's requested more money for all the agencies he manages, but didn't say how much he's requesting for FDA.
Posted by Matt Lewis
|