FDA Request For Budget Increase to Overhaul Food Safety Procedures

Food safety director Caroline Smith Dewaal states, “When 80 percent of Americans believe that ‘made in China’ means ‘may be contaminated,’ we clearly have a crisis of confidence on our hands.”

With the recent spotlight on the Food and Drug Administration due to a series of contamination scandals, and salmonella found in pepper, peanut butter, pistachio nuts, Dunkin Donuts hot chocolate, and milk, many consumers have been concerned about the FDA’s ability to track and properly inspect food products. That’s why it came as no surprise to the American public when talk of a funding boost began in the first half of 2009. The FDA is now requesting a budget increase, which they hope will provide the resources needed to modernize food, medicine, and tobacco laws that are over 100 years old.

The rumors and talk about an overhaul of the Food and Drug Administration began in May 2009, when Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the Obama Administration’s new Commissioner of the FDA, proposed a record increase for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. This increase would result in a complete revamping of the FDA, and was due to be reviewed in January 2010. As speculation increased, the FDA announced February 1, 2010 that it is requesting $4.03 billion for expenses required to promote the welfare of the US. This is a 23% increase from their current budget of $3.28 billion. Out of this money the FDA is directing $318.3 million toward “transforming food safety.”

But why does food safety need a transformation? Food Safety Director, Caroline Smith Dewaal states, “When 80 percent of Americans believe that ‘made in China’ means ‘may be contaminated,’ we clearly have a crisis of confidence on our hands. Consumers are sick and tired of getting sick from unsafe imported and domestic food.” She goes on to say, "Congress should put a single, well-funded U.S. agency in charge of food safety and not rely solely on other countries to do this job for us."

Many Americans would prefer that all food products come from the United States. However, certain statistics show that Americans consume 33% of the world’s resources while producing only 1.74%. We consume more meat, paper, and gasoline than any other county, and although we would like all food imports that come through our borders thoroughly inspected, the truth is 99% of food that crosses our border is never touched or even looked at. This is because the laws require all meat and poultry products to be inspected. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is in charge of this, and the FDA heads everything else—food, medicine, and tobacco. The fact is that there are not enough inspectors to get to everything, and you can’t hire more people without more money. As consumers wondering—“How will this benefit me, directly?”

The FDA hopes their funding request will be used to alter the way our food safety system works. According to a press release pertaining to food safety, the FDA states, “The FDA will set standards for safety, expand laboratory capacity, pilot track and trace technology, strengthen its import safety program, improve data collection and risk analysis and begin to establish an integrated national food safety system with strengthened inspection and response capacity.” This means products, imported and domestic, will have strict food safety guidelines, tracking imports will be easier, and our country will begin working with other countries to improve safety procedures on a global scale. Wouldn’t it be nice to eat peanut butter and not have to worry about getting salmonella? We think so, too.