CFSAN science review finds lean operation
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
The laboratory infrastructure within FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is stretched thin with minimal administrative support and little flexibility, according to an interim research review report presented by an FDA Science Board subcommittee. "There's not as much of a support system within CFSAN," said subcommittee member Rhona Applebaum during the Feb. 22 Science Board meeting in Bethesda, Md. "Oftentimes what we saw and what we heard is we're asking our chefs to be also the chief cooks and bottle washers." Applebaum added that the food center is stretched thin performing crucial tasks to protect public health. The CFSAN research subcommittee plans to continue reviewing CFSAN activities and will present its final report during a May 17 Science Board meeting. The Obama administration has proposed a 32.9 percent increase in FDA food program funding, to $1.04 billion, for fiscal 2011 (1"The Rose Sheet" Feb. 8, 2010)