NCFST Director Martin Cole Addresses U.S Congressional Subcommittee

WASHINGTON, D.C.– Martin Cole, PhD, director of the National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST), Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), testified today before a US congressional subcommittee deliberating key concepts that could be included in a model food safety bill.

Cole spoke at the Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Health hearing, “How Do We Fix Our Ailing Food Safety System?”, chaired by U.S. Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), in Washington, D.C.

“Americans do not need another deadly outbreak to understand that our food safety system is in desperate straits,” said Rep. Waxman in his opening remarks. “We must act now to address this problem. Over the next few months, the Energy and Commerce Committee will move a strong food safety bill. This hearing is the first step on that legislative path. Today we will hear about some of the major concepts that our witnesses believe must be included in a model food safety bill.”

Cole was invited to present expert testimony on the use of science-based preventive controls and strategies to assure microbial food safety. “In order to successfully respond to food safety challenges and to restore consumer confidence, the US needs to increase its emphasis on the development of a modern system for the management of microbial food safety,” Cole stated. “The elements of a modern system that I will discuss today will help us keep pace with emerging food safety issues, assuring safe and wholesome foods for consumers worldwide.”

Cole outlined four key components of such a system: risk-based preventive controls; monitoring programs for those controls; appropriate government oversight; and a strong program of food safety research. He stressed the importance of instituting new risk management approaches that enable the food industry to meet specific food safety objectives and apply proven food safety principles, including Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems.

“It provides a scientific basis that allows industry to select and implement control measures for each specific food or food operation,” Cole said. “This approach should enable regulators to better develop and implement inspection procedures to assess the adequacy of the control measures implemented by industry and to quantify the equivalence of inspection procedures in different countries. Thus, the practical value of using a risk-based approach is that it offers flexibility of operation; it does not prescribe how an operation achieves compliance—it defines the goal.”

Given the continued globalization of the food supply and consumer trends that will continue to drive the emergence of new issues, especially in microbial food safety, Cole advised the subcommittee, “it is important to establish a strong research program in order to be able to develop risk-based control measures in a proactive manner.”

“I therefore urge this Committee and Congress to provide the means for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue the development of a modern, risk-based food safety system that requires risk-based preventative controls, programs to monitor their effectiveness, government oversight, and a strong program of research to assure the highest level of confidence for the US consumer.”

Other hearing witnesses included Caroline Smith DeWaal, Center for Science in the Public Interest; William Hubbard, Alliance for a Stronger FDA; Thomas Stenzel, United Fresh Produce Association; and Jim Lugg, Fresh Express. To download Dr. Cole’s and other expert statements, or to view streaming video of the hearing, visit the Committee’s website at http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1527.

Rep. Waxman also announced that in addition to the Energy and Commerce Committee’s pledge to work with President Obama’s FDA to implement common-sense food safety meaures, another congressional investigative hearing focusing on food safety system failures associated with the recent Salmonella outbreak caused by the Peanut Corporation of America will be held on March 19.