Tuesday June 8th was no ordinary day for me - it was the day I was going to attend my first press conference. I put on my most professional suit, gathered my note pad, pen and Spectrum business cards, and headed downtown to the National Press Club on 14th Street.
I entered the National Press Club with a slew of journalists, bloggers and business representatives, all eager to hear the new recommendations the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council had for the FDA. I took my seat as Mr. Robert Wallace, chairman of the committee that authored the report, took the microphone and began explaining the IOM's 500-page report. His main point was simple-the FDA is a struggling institution that needs to be reorganized. 
The FDA is responsible for ensuring the safety of approximately 80% of the nation's food supply and with such a large task, managing a budget and ensuring the effectiveness of each action is key. Thus the IOM report recommends that the FDA improve coordination with state food safety agencies and focus resources on prevention rather than containment.
Although Mr. Wallace and his team of experts made multiple recommendations for the FDA's operating procedure, the largest recommendation was remodeling the FDA into a risk based system. In a risk based system, the spotlight shifts from outbreak containment to outbreak prevention by focusing resources at the riskiest foods rather that tacking problem on a case by case basis.
In order for the risk based approach to be effective, the IOM highlighted the need for a centralized risk based analysis data management center to aggregate food safety information and determine which products are of greatest risk. By implementing such a system the IOM believes that the FDA will be better equipped to manage risk and prevent outbreaks.
I agree with the IOM report - I would much prefer a Federal agency that keeps me from getting sick rather than one that reprimands a company that made me sick.
Tags: Food Safety
