Slow response by FDA to food scares leaves public at risk, watchdog says

US consumers can remain at risk of illness or death for weeks after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is aware that potentially hazardous food is in the supply chain because the agency lacks policies and procedures to ensure prompt product recalls, the FDA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) said in a report released 8 June.1

In the report, the agency’s Inspector General, Daniel R Levinson said, “We found that the FDA did not have an efficient and effective food recall initiation process that helps ensure the safety of the …