Food
Safety Working Group holds first Listening Session
The U.S. White House
Food Safety Working Group held its first Listening Session on May 13 led
by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Dept.
of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. In consultation with its partners
on Capitol Hill, the Working Group is working on a set of principles and
guidelines for improving food safety. The White House Listening Session
was an opportunity to engage stakeholders in a conversation to help shape
these principles.
The Listening Session
included remarks from Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen
Sebelius and Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) Tom Vilsack, the co-chairs
of the Working Group, followed by smaller group breakout sessions with
Administration and Congressional staff and stakeholders to discuss how to
address major challenges and opportunities in this area.
At the Session,
Sebelius stated, “We know that change begins with one word: prevention.
Today’s food safety system responds to crises. We need a system that
prevents contamination in the first place. Building this system is a
responsibility we all share.”
Concerning the state of
the nation’s food safety system, Vilsack said, “This issue will be one of
USDA’s highest priorities. We are in the midst of reviewing all of our
statutory authorities, as well as administrative and regulatory steps we
can take, to ensure that our actions support public health and consumer
safety to the fullest extent.”
Food Safety Working Group
Sebelius’ statement
Vilsack’s statement
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