11.7.2007 9:35 AM

Bush: FDA Needs More Food Safety Authority

FDA Could Mandate Recalls and Up 3rd-Party Inspections

Comments

Women in grocery store wondering about food safety inspections and the FDA

Photo: B2M Productions/Getty Images

By Dan Shapley

The Food and Drug Administration would be beefed up and be able to not only mandate recalls of bad foods and drugs, but also increase inspections of imports, under a Bush Administration plan outlined Tuesday.

A key feature of the plan is the authorization of third-party inspectors, who would check on the safety of products and plants at home and abroad. Those certified products would be favored, presumably, by both retailers and consumers, helping to create a self-policing system that encourages quality.

Some critics said the reforms wouldn't go far enough, particularly for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which oversees toys and other non-food products. And all eyes will be on the administration's February budget proposal, according to the Los Angeles Times, to see if the staff necessary to implement the program will be paid for.

COMMENTS ()