FDA Officially Debuts Human Foods Program
Some organizational changes are going taking place at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This week, the new Human Food Program (HFP) is going into effect and impacting field operations around the country.
The HFP focuses on inspections, investigations and imports as its core mission and has been revamped to enhance collaboration between field investigators and other subject matter experts throughout the agency. The renamed field operations unit has food safety, chemical safety and nutrition activities under its watch and is designed to facilitate nimbleness as new food technologies and global challenges emerge.
[RELATED: FMI Urges More Time, Flexibility to Comply With Food Traceability Rule]
As part of the update, the Office of Regulatory Affairs is now known as the Office of Inspections and Investigations and has been expanded to cover all products under FDA’s purview beyond just foods. Additionally, FDA is pilot testing a new online consumer complaint form created to improve the consumer experience and handle complaints internally in a more efficient way.
“This is the single largest reorganization in the agency's modern history, as it impacts more than 8,000 employees and touches almost every facet of the FDA,” the agency declared on Oct. 1. “In particular, the establishment of the Human Foods Program allows us to most effectively deliver on our mission to protect and promote public health through science-based approaches to prevent foodborne illness, reduce diet-related chronic disease, and ensure the safety of chemicals in our food.
[UPCOMING WEBINAR: Food Safety - A Team Approach to Unmasking Hidden Threats takes place on Oct. 31]
