FDA Needs Vision, and a Few More Teeth, New Report Says

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration needs more clout, money and staff to help protect the U.S. food supply, but first of all it needs a coherent vision, a panel of experts said on Tuesday.

The Institute of Medicine report is the latest in a series of outside studies showing the FDA, which polices drugs and 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, does not have enough power.

The report said FDA should be given authority to suspend food company registrations for violations that threaten the public health, and the authority to mandate recalls. The FDA usually now must coax companies into voluntarily recalling dangerous foods.

Recent high-profile outbreaks, many involving produce such as lettuce, spinach, peppers and peanuts, have killed dozens of people and prompted an uproar from consumer groups.

Congress has been working to overhaul the food safety system but legislation has been repeatedly bogged down by healthcare and regulatory reform. The House of Representatives passed food reform legislation in July. The Senate is expected to act this month.

The Obama administration organized a food safety working group last year that made recommendations for reducing foodborne illnesses, which sicken an estimated 76 million people in the United States each year and kill 5,000 according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The legislation needs to help beef up the FDA, the report recommends -- but the FDA also must develop a better system for overseeing food safety.

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Source: Reuters