Bill Aims to Create New Federal Food Administration That Would Take FDA’s Food Responsibilities
Image credit: Joe Richmond via Unsplash
On July 23, 2024, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) introduced legislation that would create an entirely original, independent federal food agency. If passed, the Federal Food Administration Act would remove responsibility for overseeing the U.S. food supply from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and give it to a newly created Federal Food Administration.
Despite FDA’s moves toward a new, unified Human Foods Program within FDA, Senator Durbin and Representative DeLauro, backed by important stakeholder advocacy groups, believe internal reorganization is not enough to protect the U.S. food supply. They argue that an independent agency focused solely on preventing foodborne illness and promoting nutrition goals is necessary.
More specifically, if passed, the Federal Food Administration Act would establish a Federal Food Administration under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by incorporating the existing food programs within FDA into the new agency: the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Office of Food Policy and Response (OFPR), and the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA). The Federal Food Administration would be led by an expert confirmed by the Senate.
Senator Durbin cited recent, significant food safety incidents—namely, the 2022 infant formula crisis and the hundreds of children sickened by lead-adulterated cinnamon applesauce pouches in 2023—as reasons for why he and Representative DeLauro introduced the Federal Food Administration Act. Although Representative DeLauro lauded the recently appointed FDA Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods, Jim Jones, for his work to elevate the status of food safety at the agency, she also called food safety a “second-class citizen” at FDA.
Joining Durbin and DeLauro as an original cosponsor of the Federal Food Administration Act is Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). The legislation is endorsed by Consumer Reports, Stop Foodborne Illness, the Environmental Working Group, and the American Herbal Products Association.
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