New USDA, FDA Joint Venture to Improve Food Safety Oversight and Inspection Process
Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a new joint effort to help make food safer. The formal agreement outlines efforts to increase interagency collaboration, efficiency and effectiveness on produce safety and biotechnology activities, while providing clarity to manufacturers. The agreement was signed by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue.
“Today, Commissioner Gottlieb and I signed a formal agreement to promote coordination and the streamlining of capacities and obligations on shared concerns and jurisdiction,” says Secretary Perdue. “Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and assigned responsibilities to the USDA and the FDA. The USDA has the knowledge and expertise to support the FDA’s work related to farming. We at the USDA have a motto: Do Right, and Feed Everyone. We believe this joint effort will help us move one step closer to that goal.”