Obama: Food Poisoning Is 'Unacceptable Hazard'
Saying that the rise of food poisoning in America has become an "unacceptable hazard to human health,'' President Barack Obama today announced changes designed to streamline and beef up food safety laws and inspection.
The president devoted his weekly address to the issue and officially announced Dr. Margaret Hamburg as his appointee to become the new commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Some highlights from his address:
- The Obama Administration is creating a new Food Safety Working Group chaired by the secretaries of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture. The group is to examine food safety laws in search of needed upgrades and enforcement capability.
- Government will invest $1 billion in the FDA to "substantially increase'' the number of food inspectors and modernize food safety labs.
- Announced the appointment of Dr. Joshua Sharfstein of Baltimore as principal deputy commissioner of FDA.
The president noted a "disturbing" trend in foodborne illness outbreaks, saying the number of outbreaks in a year averaged about 100 in the early 1990s. Now, a typical year generates some 350 illness outbreaks, including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter.
In fact, the president specifically referred to nine deaths from the current peanut butter Salmonella outbreak . National food safety law firm PrtizkerOlsen Attorneys has been playing an important role. The firm represents the families of three of the nine people who have died. One of the clients, Jeffrey Almer, gave powerful testimony to a Congressional panel investigating the outbreak.
Obama said the deaths of Shirley Almer, Doris Flatgard, Nellie Napier and the six other victims is "a powerful reminder of how tragic the consequences can be when food producers act irresponsibly and government is unable to do its job.''
The president closed his remarks with a touching personal observation. The full transcript of his address is available online from the White House and so is the video.
"In the end, food safety is something I take seriously, not just as your President, but as a parent. When I heard peanut products were being contaminated earlier this year, I immediately thought of my 7-year old daughter, Sasha, who has peanut butter sandwiches for lunch probably three times a week. No parent should have to worry that their child is going to get sick from their lunch. Just as no family should have to worry that the medicines they buy will cause them harm. Protecting the safety of our food and drugs is one of the most fundamental responsibilities government has, and, with the outstanding team I am announcing today, it is a responsibility that I intend to uphold in the months and years to come.''
