Senate Inquiry Into FDA Oversight of Tainted Pet Food

Article in the L.A. Times -- Senate panel to question FDA response to tainted pet food: Sen. Durbin says the agency should be able to order a recall rather than rely on companies to do so voluntarily, by Chuck Neubauer.  Here's an excerpt:

Seeking ways to ensure that pet food is safe, a Senate subcommittee plans to question Food and Drug Administration officials as soon as Thursday about their response to the contamination that has killed pets and led to the recall of more than 100 brands.

On Saturday, Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), a leading advocate of improving food safety, criticized the federal inspection process for both human and pet food. "The system is broken-down," he said.

Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, called for the hearing last week. He said he would like to see the FDA set national standards and inspection rules for pet food manufacturing facilities.

"The FDA is like a fire department that is only called after the house has burned," Durbin said in a telephone interview.

He also said he would like to see federal law changed to allow the FDA to order a recall of food intended for human or pet consumption rather than rely on companies to do it voluntarily.

The agriculture appropriations subcommittee plans to schedule a hearing for Thursday or sometime next week. Durbin said he expects to hear from FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, veterinarians and representatives of the pet food industry.

BGS