Food safety

The Senate Appropriations Committee will vote to increase funding for food safety by $40 million to $45 million next fiscal year, Sen. Tom Harkin said.

A coalition of medical and consumer advocacy groups is urging lawmakers to curtail the use of antibiotics in farm animals as federal regulators prepare to propose new restrictions.

A dozen groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, wrote to lawmakers on Tuesday to bemoan the "misinformation and confusion" about the impact farm use of antibiotics can have on human health. The groups will also run an ad in congressional newspapers on Wednesday urging lawmakers to allow new restrictions.

"Antibiotic-resistant infections claim tens of thousands of American lives each year and significantly drive up our health costs," the ad says. "It's time for Congress, the White House and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to act decisively to protect our life-saving antibiotics so they work for sick people."

The ad comes as the FDA is finalizing voluntary guidance that is expected to say that animal growth promotion is not a judicious use of antibiotics. While not binding, FDA guidance is usually followed by industry.

Drugmakers and the food industry say using antibiotics to keep farm animals healthy does not put the public at risk. Some Republican lawmakers led by Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) have tried to head off tougher regulatory restrictions by requiring FDA to abide by so-called "hard science," and the advocates are worried that lawmakers could derail regulators' efforts.

The head of a consulting firm for importers is assembling a coalition of food manufacturers and importers to oppose a proposed fee created by the new food-safety law.

The Food Safety Modernization Act enacted earlier this year allows regulators to impose a fee on food importers if federal inspectors have to re-examine a shipment that appears to be contaminated. The Food and Drug Administration proposed a $224 per hour re-examination fee earlier this month, but Benjamin England of FDAImports.com said the regulation is so broad that it exceeds FDA's authority under the law. 

He argues FDA did not succeed in getting a user fee in the law, so regulators are broadening the definition of an initial examination to cover activities that don't require an actual physical examination. These include "reviewing sample results from a third party, reviewing any relevant epidemiological evidence, reviewing a third party facility inspection, and almost any activity related to an FDA import alert," according to England.

The FDA says the regulation would allow the agency to determine instances of non-compliance with the law and impose a fee to help reimburse resources expended to determine whether the non-compliance has been corrected.

"My feeling is that there are a lot of small companies that would be seriously by this," England told The Hill. The result, he predicted, would be higher food prices for consumers because of the food industry's tight margins.

England said he has already gotten a "couple dozen" responses within 24 hours of putting out his proposal for a coalition of small importers. He says the coalition should "prepare for legal action against FDA should no changes occur to FDA's proposed fees."

The fee is scheduled to kick in Oct. 1.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro said the GOP spending cuts to the FDA and USDA will lead to more food-borne illnesses.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday began to seek public input on the user fees it will soon begin imposing on the food industry in order to meet its enhanced role in keeping the nation's food safe.

The Food Safety Modernization Act that became law in January provides the FDA with authority to assess and collect user fees to help regulators carry out their new roles. These include domestic and foreign facility reinspections, verifying compliance with recall orders  and importer reinspections.

"The Agency is seeking public comment on what burdens these fees impose on small business, and whether and how the Agency should alleviate such burdens," the agency said in a request for comments and information. "In particular, the Agency is seeking public comments on whether a reduction of fees or other consideration for small business is appropriate, and if so, what factors the Agency should consider for each. In addition, the Agency is seeking public comment on how small business should be defined or recognized."

Food safety regulators from around the world on Tuesday approved food labeling guidance that allows countries to label genetically modified foods without risking to run afoul of international free trade laws.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, which consists of the world's food safety regulatory agencies, moved forward with guidance on labeling at the annual Codex summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The guidance was immediately hailed as a historic victory by consumer advocates.

The guidance isn't mandatory, but its approval by an international body of food safety regulators will protect countries that adopt GM food labeling from the threat of World Trade Organization lawsuits. The commission was created in 1963 to develop international food standards.

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The food industry urges the Food and Drug Administration to consider the potential costs to small-business restaurant franchise owners as it writes menu labeling regulations. The FDA is taking comments on its proposal through the end of the day Tuesday.

The New York Times recaps the healthcare cuts on the table as part of debt-ceiling negotiations.

The ACLU objects to a new federal drug enforcement mandate outlined by the Department of Justice.

Doctors struggle to assess whether patients are truly in pain before prescribing painkillers, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The dietary-supplement industry is pushing back against new restrictions proposed by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

Durbin introduced a bill Thursday to tighten labeling requirements for supplements. It would require the Food and Drug Administration to define the difference between supplements and food products. Under current law, companies can choose which way to classify and market their products.

“My gripe is not with the array of vitamins available at health stores across the nation; my gripe is with products labeled as ‘dietary supplements’ whose ingredients have not been deemed safe by the FDA but are found on store shelves right next to conventional food and beverages," Durbin said.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) said the new authorities would be redundant and the FDA could use its existing power to achieve much of what Durbin wants.

"Instead of urging FDA to use its current enforcement authority to isolate and punish those companies that are not following the law, this bill serves to punish all responsible companies with its overreaching mandates," CRN President Steve Mister said in a statement.

Federal officials and the Ad Council are joining hands for a humorous public service campaign aimed at reducing food poisoning in the home.

The "Food Safe Families" campaign coincides with the July 4 weekend and the start of the summer grilling season. It consists of several television public service announcements depicting safe food-handling techniques, created pro bono by the ad agency JWT New York.

"Our food safety strategy is based on preventing food safety problems, and these efforts must begin where food is produced and continue where food is processed and marketed," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. "Consumers also play a role in preventing food safety problems by properly handling, preparing and storing food in the home. This campaign will help consumers understand their role in farm-to-table safety.

The top Democrat on the Appropriations Health subcommittee is calling for heightened investment in food safety after a new audit of 17 recent food recalls raised new concerns.

The Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General warned that the Food and Drug Administration's guidance was not adequate to protect the nation's food supply because it's not enforceable. The audit also said FDA "did not always follow its own procedures for ensuring that the recall process operated efficiently and effectively."

"With 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations and over 3,000 deaths each year caused by foodborne illnesses, it is critical that the FDA have the tools and authority it needs to protect American consumers," Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said in a statement. "The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, signed into law last year, is a great first step toward strengthening and modernizing our food safety system, but the Office of Inspector General's report clearly shows that there is room for significant improvement in the FDA's recall of unsafe food, specifically imported food."