On April 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a webinar on its Foodborne Outbreak Response Improvement Plan, part of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety. The webinar featured agency representatives and academics who discussed the scientific information behind the Improvement Plan and the plan’s four core priorities. The webinar ended with the panelists answering questions from the public.
Frank Yiannas, FDA Deputy Commissioner of Food Policy and Response, opened the webinar by stressing two main themes that were present throughout the event. The first was the importance of using modern-day tools to meet modern-day needs. FDA is carefully considering how it can best utilize technological tools to improve its foodborne illness outbreak response. The second theme Yiannas raised was that of collaboration. Communication and data-sharing between local, state, and federal agencies, as well as the private sector, is crucial to a timely and effective outbreak response.