Interview with Dr. Larry Hood

Ensuring the safety of our products and maintaining the confidence of consumers is the single most important goal of the food and beverage industry.” So says Jim McCarthy, President and CEO of the Snack Food Association.

And the U.S. government agrees. Under current consideration by the Senate is the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to expand the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (the Secretary) to regulate food, and by authorizing the Secretary to suspend the registration of a food facility.

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act requires each food facility to evaluate hazards and implement preventive controls. It requires the Secretary to: (1) identify preventive programs and practices to promote the safety and security of food; (2) promulgate regulations on sanitary food transportation practices; (3) develop a policy to manage the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools and early childhood education programs; (4) allocate inspection resources based on the risk profile of food facilities or food; (5) recognize bodies that accredit food testing laboratories; and (6) improve the capacity of the Secretary to track and trace raw agricultural commodities.

Read the entire interview with Larry Hood July 2010.