In an era of increasingly digitized food supply chains facilitating rapid communication all the way to consumers, it is crucial for government agencies to keep pace with the ever-changing landscape. Unfortunately, few areas better exemplify government lagging behind industry than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recall processes and policies.
Having spent 33 years in public service with the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), I’ve seen firsthand the need for comprehensive modernization and harmonization of these processes and policies.