The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) hosted its annual Food Policy Conference in Washington on Friday.
The conference focused on two pieces of legislation, the Food Safety Modernization Act along with the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act in January 2011. The bills shift the focus of federal food regulators for from responding to food contamination to preventing it.
In the keynote address, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Food Commissioner Michael Taylor said the FDA is out to give the public the “best bang for the buck.” He made the comment in response to questions on the Food Safety Modernization Act.
He also stressed that the new rules are only one piece of the puzzle. Adding that "the FDA is fundamentally changing the way it approaches food safety."
Later in the day, officials from a variety of federal food agencies held a panel discussion on key nutrition initiatives.