Letter from a coalition of consumer advocates, industry leaders, and state and local regulators to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf calling on him to make a commitment to support a new leader to oversee its food program in light of the Reagan Udall Foundation’s report detailing longstanding problems that have undermined the agency’s effectiveness.
The groups urged Commissioner Califf to name an empowered deputy commissioner to manage the program, one of the options recommended in the Foundation’s report to strengthen leadership and accountability at the FDA. The coalition letter calls on Commissioner Califf to appoint a food safety expert by February to serve in that role on an acting basis while the agency works through how best to implement the empowered deputy commissioner model.