Critics say FDA is broken, needs to restore its reputation

Is the FDA a broken agency? Every few months, the Food and Drug Administration goes into fire-brigade mode, rushing to get control over another safety crisis, says an MSNBC article yesterday. Both critics and supporters acknowledge the FDA is struggling and even suggest breaking it up and moving food safety to a new agency. “You've got an agency that quite frankly is either non-functional, or dysfunctional, or maybe all of the above,” said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich.

We continue to report on the salmonella, BPA, and melamine scandals, and to speak out on the FDA's ability to protect our food supply and Obama's plan for an overhaul. With its "Not In My Food" campaign, Consumers Union has been advocating for a major overhaul of the FDA's food safety program, and issued a statement last month calling Obama's plan "good news."

Read the complete Consumers Union statement on Obama's FDA comments. We'd like to hear from you: In your opinion, what will it take to clean up the FDA?

Comments

[Jerry Cook]

Having a percentage of the FDA budget funded by Pharma creates an inherent conflict of interest.
I also feel the FDA should look closer at research from alternative sources such as the European Medicines Agency, rather than depending exclusively on data provided by individual Pharma Corporations.
Some of the recalls the past year were related to quality control. I've read reports indicating FDA's failure to adequately inspect production facilities. If the FDA is not competent enough to manage something simple like inspections, I have no confidence in their ability to perform any other tasks. The FDA is not just broken. It appears to be a straw man set up to project the illusion of safety, while stifling competition from outside forces.