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The government framework said a new design planned to better monitor human food chains and agricultural products will come into force, and allow it to be “more efficient, agile and prepared for the complex and ever-changing industries” it regulates. on October 1st.
The FDA has been criticized for its slow response to the infant formula crisis, sparked by an Abbott Laboratories recall due to the presence of salmonella at food manufacturer Bathrough’s plant in Sturgis, Michigan.
The shortage came when the company shut down the site, prompting the government to take emergency measures to import products from abroad, as well as allowing more foreign brands into the limited U. S. market.
Last August, the regulator appointed James Jones as the first deputy commissioner for human rights to oversee the creation of the Human Food Program (HFP).
The main points of this restructuring have already been announced.
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The HFP will take over the functions of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and the Office of Food Policy and Response, as key purposes of the Office of Regulatory Affairs, which will be renamed the Office of Inspections and Investigations.
In a statement issued yesterday (May 30), the FDA described the resolution as an “important milestone. “
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, to whom Jones reports, said, “This is a unique moment for the FDA. I am very pleased to see that after a year and a portion of hard work and effort committed to this transformative vision of the FDA’s human food program and agency architecture, we are about to see the largest reorganization of the agency. of recent history will come to life this fall.
“This reorganization has been a critical task for the FDA, and I am proud of what we will accomplish in a more effective and collaborative way to better meet our public fitness mandate.
The FDA said the creation of the HFP will allow it to “better position itself to protect the nation’s food source and respond to food-related emergencies, such as the 2022 infant formula shortage. “
It added that the restructuring will allow its cash operations unit to carry out inspections, investigations and imports, which are its core mission.
The changes were made in line with recommendations made in a 2022 independent review by the Reagan-Udall Foundation, which assessed how the company could improve its oversight of the food sector.
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