New food safety legislation is in the works designed to increase the Food and Drug Administration's powers to keep food safe. Sweeping legislation aimed at making food safer, in the wake of recent E.coli and salmonella outbreaks, would protect Americans from unsafe food coming in from other countries, as well. The legislation would allow for increased FDA inspections on food facilities and give the agency broader authority to order a recall. Stricter standards would be placed on imported foods as well as requiring that larger producers keep detailed food safety plans which follow stricter standards for keeping food safe. The webinar is designed for those who want and need to understand the impact of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which was signed by the President on Jan. 4, 2011. Aimed at protecting the American people, it will certainly be one of the hot topics in the food industry in 2011 and beyond.
About Dr. David Acheson Dr. David Acheson is the Managing Director, Food and Import Safety Practice, at Leavitt Partners. Founded by former U. S. Health and Human Services Secretary and EPA Administrator Michael O. Leavitt, the partnership advises clients in the health care and food safety sectors. As Managing Director, Dr. Acheson helps clients enter new markets, enhance the value of their products, navigate dynamic regulatory and reimbursement systems and improve health conditions around the world. Dr. Acheson graduated from the University of London Medical School in 1980, and after practicing internal medicine and infectious diseases in the United Kingdom, moved to the New England Medical Center and Tufts University in Boston in 1987. As as Associate Professor at Tufts University, he undertook basic molecular pathogenesis research on foodborne pathogens, especially Shiga toxin-producing E.coli. In 2001, Dr. Acheson moved his laboratory to the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore to continue research on foodborne pathogens. In September 2002, Dr. Acheson became the Chief Medical Officer at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). In January 2004, he was named Director of CFSAN's Food Safety and Security Staff. In January of 2005, the office was expanded and renamed the Office of Food Safety, Defense and Outreach; in January of 2007 it was further expanded to become the Office of Food Defense, Communication and Emergency Response. In May 2007, Dr. Acheson was appointed as the Commissioner for Food Protection to provide advice and counsel to the FDA Commissioner on strategic and substantive food safety and food defense matters. In January 2008, he was named Associate Commissioner of Foods, which provided him an agency-wide leadership role for all food and feed issues, including health promotion and nutrition. Dr. Acheson has published extensively and is internationally recognized both for his public health expertise in food safety and his research in infectious diseases. Additionally, Dr. Acheson is a fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians (London) and the Infectious Disease Society of America. About Mr. John Bode Mr. John Bode is a principal at Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Bode Matz P.C. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and was educated at the United States Naval Academy and the University of Oklahoma, receiving his B.A. in 1977. He received his J.D. from George Mason University in 1983. He was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar in 1983 and currently is a member of the Oklahoma and American Bar Associations. Mr. Bode concentrates his practice in legislative and regulatory matters. He served in three Presidential appointments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture before joining the firm in 1989. As Assistant Secretary for Food and Consumer Services, Mr. Bode was responsible for nutrition issues, almost half of the USDA's budget, and scores of rulemakings. During his tenure at USDA, Mr. Bode testified on behalf of the Reagan and Bush Administrations over seventy times and directly oversaw approximately 90 proposed and final rules. Before joining the USDA in 1981, he was on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and served on the staff of then-Governor of Oklahoma David L. Boren. Mr. Bode actively participated in the legislative efforts resulting in the enactment of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (pesticide reform), and 1997 FDA Reform legislation. |
