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FDA Proposal Would Transform Human Foods Program to Enhance Prevention, Responsiveness

Jan. 31, 2023

U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D., announced a proposal to restructure the Human Foods Program and Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) to better serve the industry and consumers.

Andy Hanacek

In a release distributed today, U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D., announced a proposal to restructure the Human Foods Program and Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) to better serve the industry and consumers.

In the statement, Califf pointed to both internal and third-party reviews of the administration in 2022, following the agency’s response to the baby formula crisis, as the driving force behind the new vision for the groups. He stated that the proposals create “clear priorities that are focused on protecting and promoting a safe, nutritious U.S. food supply that more quickly adapts to an ever-changing and evolving environment.”

The proposal creates a new organization called the Human Foods Program, combining the functions of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Office of Food Policy and Response (OFPR), as well as certain functions of ORA. The new group will be led by a new Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods.

In addition, a Center for Excellence in Nutrition will be created to help American consumers with their food and nutrition choices, and this will include a newly established Office of Critical Foods, as directed by the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act. It will also provide for creation of the Office of Integrated Food Safety System Partnerships, to help meet the vision of food safety systems integration as set forth in the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act.

Meanwhile, the operating structure of ORA will become more of an enterprise-wide effort across all FDA regulatory programs, focused solely on inspections, laboratory testing, import and investigative operations.

Further details on the proposal were expected to be shared publicly by the end of February.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.