White House takes steps on food safety

Vice President Joe Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius this afternoon announced tougher steps to limit salmonella and E.coli contamination at food processing plants and to better track the origin of food illnesses.

The Obama administration, after a salmonella outbreak in peanut products that sickened more than 700 people in 46 states this year and forced the largest recall in US history, also created a new post of deputy food commissioner for safety. The proposals were recommended by working group created by Obama in March and that included Biden and Sebelius.

“There are few responsibilities more basic or more important for the government than making sure the food our families eat is safe,” Biden said. “Our food safety system must be updated – 1 in 4 people get sick every year due to food-borne illness, and children and the elderly are more at risk. I applaud the Secretaries of HHS and the USDA for tackling this problem head-on and coming up with key recommendations to ensure the health and safety of our food supply and, with it, the American people.”

Consumers Union’s food safety campaign welcomed the White House plan.

“These new measures represent real progress towards improving the safety of food in the U.S. The creation of this new position means that, for the first time, there is a ‘go to’ person at FDA whose sole responsibility is keeping food safe. We are also pleased to see the issuance of the FDA egg safety rule, which languished for years during the previous administration without becoming final," Jean Halloran, the campaign's director, said in a statement.

“We agree that new standards for salmonella in poultry are needed to address persistent problems with contamination. We also need action on development of a standard for campylobacter, another bacteria that is prevalent in poultry and which makes many Americans sick every year. Guidance for controlling E. coli in produce will also help prevent problems like the contamination of bagged spinach that occurred several years ago that caused several deaths and many illnesses. We hope FDA will also consider issuing regulations on this topic, since compliance with guidance is optional.

“We urge lawmakers to move promptly to pass the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009. This is a good piece of legislation that will require FDA to develop regulations to improve produce safety, which can also be contaminated by salmonella. We also support the Administration's plan to develop of traceability systems, so FDA can more quickly find the source of contaminated products.”

The full White House release is below:

Obama Administration Delivers on Commitment to Upgrade U.S. Food Safety System

Vice President Biden, Secretaries Vilsack and Sebelius Announce Key Findings of Food Safety Working Group

WASHINGTON – Today Vice President Biden was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to announce the key findings of the Food Safety Working Group. Created by President Obama in March to advise the Administration on how to upgrade the food safety system for the 21st century, the Working Group is recommending a new, public health-focused approach to food safety based on three core principles: prioritizing prevention; strengthening surveillance and enforcement; and improving response and recovery.

“There are few responsibilities more basic or more important for the government than making sure the food our families eat is safe,” said Vice President Biden. “Our food safety system must be updated – 1 in 4 people get sick every year due to food-borne illness, and children and the elderly are more at risk. I applaud the Secretaries of HHS and the USDA for tackling this problem head-on and coming up with key recommendations to ensure the health and safety of our food supply and, with it, the American people.”

“Instead of spending their time trying to get kids to eat healthier food, too many parents and families are worrying about whether their food is safe in the first place,” said Secretary Sebelius. “In just the past few months since we began work with the Food Safety Working Group, we have seen recalls on everything from spinach to peanut products to now even cookie dough. The Administration recognizes that the current system just isn’t working for America’s families and under the President’s leadership we are taking action to keep our food supply safe and prevent outbreaks that can impact millions of Americans.”

“There isn’t a single American that isn’t impacted by our efforts to protect the food supply,” said Secretary Vilsack. “We owe it to the American people to deliver on President Obama’s bold promise to greatly enhance our food safety system, moving our approach into the 21st century, employing the best surveillance techniques available, and ensuring that we are doing all we can to prevent illness before it occurs.”

Today, the Working Group announced specific steps designed to advance its core principles:

· HHS and USDA are targeting salmonella contamination by developing tougher standards to protect the safety of eggs, poultry, and turkey.
· To fight the threat of E. coli, USDA is stepping up enforcement in beef facilities and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is developing new industry guidance improving protections for leafy greens, melons, and tomatoes.
· The Obama Administration is building a new national traceback and response system including clearer industry guidance, a new unified incident command system, and improved use of technology to deliver individual food safety alerts to consumers.
· Finally, the Administration announced a plan to strengthen the organization of federal food safety functions, including the creation of new positions at key food safety agencies and a continuing oversight role for the Food Safety Working Group.

The Food Safety Working Group is chaired by Secretaries Sebelius and Vilsack, and participating agencies include the FDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Commerce, the Department of State, the Environmental Protection Agency, and several offices of the White House.

For additional key findings and recommendations of the Food Safety Working Group click here.