DeLauro Seeks to Split FDA for Better Food Safety Oversight

During a press conference on Wednesday, DeLauro said the agency is hindered because it is responsible for regulating so many different areas—food, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics.

Her bill seeks to split the FDA into two organizations. A Food Safety Administration would regulate the food industry. It would be run by an administrator nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. A separate agency would handle the rest of the FDA’s current responsibilities.

“There are good people and good science at the FDA,” DeLauro said. “They have never been able to do their jobs and carry out their mission.”

In addition to splitting the FDA, the bill would create stricter federal standards for food producers and state inspectors, and it would give the agency the authority to recall tainted products rather than relying on industries to do so via voluntary recalls.

DeLauro’s bill reportedly has the support of organizations including the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Trust for America’s Health, Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention, Consumers Union and Safe Tables Our Priority.

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