News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – With the United States importing a vast river of foods and medicines from abroad, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other organizations need to increase their efforts to improve product safety monitoring in developing countries, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) said in a report released today.

(CIDRAP News) – Prompted by congressional hearings into foodborne illness outbreaks and the state of the nation's food safety system, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) today released its report on the US Food and Drug Administration's role, saying the agency needs a clear path to a risk-based strategy that delegates more inspection duties to states.

(CIDRAP News) – In passing a huge spending bill this week to cover the next 6 months, Congress approved pandemic preparedness funds that had been proposed by former President Bush and increased appropriations for food safety, according to a health advocacy group.

CIDRAP News – President Barack Obama called today for a "complete review" of the operations of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the wake of the ongoing outbreak of Salmonella in peanuts and peanut butter.

(CIDRAP News) – Contaminated vegetables and fruits caused more cases of disease in recent years than poultry, eggs, or other food groups did, according to a recent report by the consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

(CIDRAP News) – It's time to link science-based food safety standards with specific public health goals, says a report released today by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council of the National Academies.