One of the bright areas (for the most part) of the Obama administration has been the FDA. The most recent salmonella outbreak has confirmed what everyone outside of Washington (and the GOP) has known for years. Failure to regulate food safety will always, always, always lead to food safety problems. Somehow the GOP thinks it's fine to let consumers pay the price for self-regulation. Now this is change.
Food and Drug Administration chief Margaret Hamburg said Monday her agency hasn't had enough authority to help prevent outbreaks like the more than 1,000 cases of salmonella poisoning linked to the eggs from two Iowa farms.
Giving a series of network interviews, Hamburg said the FDA is taking the issue "very, very seriously." At the same time, she said Congress should pass legislation stalled in the Senate that would increase the frequency of inspections and give the agency authority to order a recall. Companies now have to issue such recalls voluntarily.
"We need better abilities and authorities to put in place these preventive controls and hold companies accountable," Hamburg said.
