>> Man: THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION -- "FOOD" IS
THE FIRST LETTER.
SO TALK TO ME IN A FAIRLY HIGH LEVEL -- THE ROLE, NOT JUST THAT
YOUR OFFICE PLAYS IN KEEPING THE FOOD SAFE -- FOOD SYSTEM
SAFE, BUT HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS TO THE OVERALL PUBLIC HEALTH
MISSION TO THE AGENCY.
>> WELL, PROTECTING THE FOOD SUPPLY, MAKING IT SAFE,
MAKING IT NUTRITIOUS, IS ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES OF
GOVERNMENT AND, OF COURSE, OF FDA.
FOR 100 YEARS, THE PUBLIC HAS REALLY DEPENDED ON FDA TO SET
STANDARDS, TO PREVENT FOOD FROM BEING CONTAMINATED -- TO SET
STANDARDS FOR LABELING OF FOOD, SO PEOPLE CAN KNOW WHAT THEY'RE
BUYING, AND HOPEFULLY CHOOSE HEALTHY DIETS.
SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD TO PUBLIC
HEALTH, TO THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE, THERE'S REALLY NOTHING
MORE FUNDAMENTAL.
>> Man: AND WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE OFFICE OF FOODS?
THAT'S A NEW OFFICE.
>> WELL, IT IS A NEW OFFICE -- IT CAME INTO BEING LAST YEAR.
IT WAS REALLY A RESPONSE TO THE NEW CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE IN
THE FOOD SUPPLY, REALLY DRIVEN IN LARGE PART BY FOOD SAFETY
CONCERNS, THE SERIES OF OUTBREAKS OF FOOD-BORNE ILLNESS
ASSOCIATED WITH FAMILIAR COMMODITIES -- FRESH PRODUCE,
LETTUCE, PEANUTS, AND SO FORTH, AND A REALIZATION THAT, WHILE
FDA HAS A LONG HISTORY, YOU KNOW, OF WORKING HARD ON FOOD
SAFETY, HAS A LOT OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, DOING THINGS THAT HAVE
WORKED IN THE PAST, WE REALLY NEED TO LOOK AHEAD TO THE FUTURE
AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN MEET TODAY'S CHALLENGES.
AND SO THE OFFICE OF FOODS WAS BROUGHT ABOUT TO UNIFY THE FDA
FOODS PROGRAM, TO ELEVATE IT, AND TO PREPARE IT
FOR THE FUTURE.
WE HAVE A NEW PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT'S COMING
THROUGH CONGRESS THAT IS GOING TO REALLY CHANGE AND MODERNIZE
FDA'S JOB, ALL FOR THE BETTER.
THE OFFICE OF FOODS IS REALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING SURE THAT
WE USE THOSE TOOLS WELL TO PROTECT FOOD SAFETY.
>> Man: SO WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF
THE OFFICE OF FOODS?
>> WELL, THE OFFICE OF FOODS REALLY OVERSEES A FOODS
PROGRAM THAT HAS THREE MAJOR OPERATING UNITS -- TWO IN
HEADQUARTERS -- THE CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY AND APPLIED
NUTRITION AND THE CENTER FOR VETERINARY MEDICINE.
THIS IS WHERE MOST OF THE SCIENTISTS WORK, POLICY PEOPLE.
THIS IS WHERE STANDARDS ARE SET.
BUT THEN THERE'S A LARGE FIELD FORCE IN FDA'S OFFICE OF
REGULATORY AFFAIRS, WHICH IS SPREAD ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY,
AND THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO CONDUCT THE INSPECTIONS, DO
THE LABORATORY WORK, AND BRING THE ENFORCEMENT CASES TO BE SURE
THAT STANDARDS ARE BEING MET.
>> Man: AND YOUR POSITION IS A NEW ONE.
>> YEAH, MY POSITION AS DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR FOODS IS
A NEW ONE -- IT'S TO LEAD THE OFFICE OF FOODS AND REALLY
WORK WITH THE ENTIRE FOODS PROGRAM TO MEET THESE CRITICAL
NEW MISSION GOALS OF PREVENTING FOOD-BORNE ILLNESS AND ENHANCING
THE ABILITY OF CONSUMERS TO CHOOSE A HEALTHY DIET.
>> Man: IF YOU WERE TO PICK ONE OR TWO WORDS TO DEFINE WHAT YOUR
MISSION IS, WHAT ARE THOSE WORDS, OR WHAT IS THAT WORD?
>> WELL, FOOD SAFETY IS PREVENTING FOOD-BORNE ILLNESS.
WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO GET SICK.
WE WANT TO PUT IN PLACE MEASURES THAT CAN PREVENT
THE POSSIBILITY OF PEOPLE GETTING SICK.
AND THAT'S THE WATCH WORD -- THAT'S WHAT REALLY WHAT
PUBLIC HEALTH IS REALLY ALL ABOUT GENERALLY, AND IT'S
CERTAINLY WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON IN FOOD SAFETY.
AND THIS REALLY MEANS ENSURING THAT EVERYONE ACROSS THE FOOD
SYSTEM -- PRODUCING FOOD, PROCESSING IT, MARKETING IT --
ARE DOING THE THINGS THEY CAN DO AT EACH STEP OF THAT PROCESS
TO REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT A HAZARD WILL COME IN, A
CONTAMINANT WILL ENTER THE FOOD THAT COULD MAKE PEOPLE SICK.
AND OUR JOB IS TO REALLY HOLD ALL THOSE PARTICIPANTS IN THE
COMMERCIAL FOOD SYSTEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR IMPLEMENTING
MODERN PREVENTIVE MEASURES.
THAT'S THE HEART OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY.
>> Man: IN THE PAST, THE FDA HASN'T HAD THE AUTHORITY TO GO
IN AND SAY, "DO IT."
IT WAS MORE, "WOULD YOU DO IT?"
>> WELL, YEAH, AND I THINK REALLY RELYING ON OUR
AUTHORITIES TO CORRECT PROBLEMS AFTER THE FACT, TO DETECT
PROBLEMS THAT OCCURRED -- CONTAMINATION INCIDENTS,
FOOD-BORNE ILLNESS OUTBREAKS -- AND RESPONDING.
THE NEW LAW IS GOING TO MANDATE PREVENTION.
IT'S GOING TO GIVE US TOOLS TO HOLD COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE FOR
PREVENTION.
AND THAT REALLY MEANS IMPLEMENTING THE KIND OF REALLY
COMMON SENSE MEASURES THAT MANY FOOD COMPANIES ALREADY
IMPLEMENT.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF KNOWING WHERE THE POSSIBLE HAZARDS
COULD COME INTO A FOOD PRODUCTION PROCESS -- WHAT ARE
THE POSSIBILITIES OF CONTAMINATION -- AND THEN
PUTTING IN PLACE, YOU KNOW, MEASURES TO PREVENT THOSE
PROBLEMS.
AND SO THIS IS A HUGE SHIFT, THOUGH, IT'S COMMON SENSE, BUT
IT'S A HUGE SHIFT FROM FDA'S ROLE OF REACTING TO REALLY
LEADING AND HOLDING COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE FOR PREVENTION.
>> Man: YOU, AT THE BEGINNING, YOU NOTED THAT SAFETY IS JUST
ONE PART OF YOUR JOB, AND ENSURING NUTRITION IS ANOTHER.
COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT?
>> WELL, I THINK THIS IS REALLY, I THINK, INCREASINGLY
RECOGNIZED AS A CENTRAL PART OF FDA'S ROLE, IS WE'RE VERY AWARE
OF THE ROLE OF DIET IN HEALTH -- IN PARTICULAR, OBESITY,
BUT ALSO CHRONIC DISEASE.
PEOPLE WITH DIETARY IMBALANCES -- TOO MUCH FAT, TOO
MUCH SODIUM -- CAN HAVE HIGHER RISK OF CANCER AND HYPERTENSION
AND DIABETES.
VERY IMPORTANTLY, THE FIRST LADY, MICHELLE OBAMA,
IS LEADING A MAJOR OBESITY INITIATIVE TO TRY TO IMPROVE
THE DIETS, PARTICULARLY OF KIDS, AND PREVENT CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN
THIS, IN THE NEXT GENERATION.
AND SHE SEES FDA'S ROLE IN FOOD LABELING AS CENTRAL TO THAT.
AND WE'RE LEADING AN INITIATIVE AS PART OF THE FIRST LADY'S
EFFORT TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE INFORMATION THAT CONSUMERS
GET ON THE FRONT OF PACKAGES ABOUT NUTRITION.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THE FAMILIAR NUTRITION FACTS PANEL ON THE
BACK OF PACKAGES -- WE WANT TO PUT SOME RELIABLE INFORMATION
THAT CONSUMERS CAN USE, YOU KNOW, IN THE RUSHED SUPERMARKETS
OF TODAY, TO MAKE THESE CHOICES BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, HEALTHIER
PRODUCTS AND THOSE THAT AREN'T SO HEALTHY.
AND WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS BASED ON GOOD RESEARCH, WE'RE GOING TO
WORK WITH THE FOOD INDUSTRY, BUT BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, WE
REALLY HOPE TO BE, YOU KNOW, PURSUING SOME NEW LABELING THAT
WILL HELP CONSUMERS CHOOSE HEALTHIER DIETS.
>> Man: IT'S A HUGE JOB AND A VERY COMPLEX JOB -- WHETHER IT'S
SAFETY OR NUTRITION, MOVING A BIG INSTITUTION ALONG, ALSO
MOVING CONGRESS AND MOVING INDUSTRY.
HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THAT YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL?
>> I'M VERY CONFIDENT, AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH
ME, REALLY.
I MEAN, THE AGENCY IS FULL OF PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY COMMITTED TO
THE PUBLIC HEALTH GOAL, WHO REALLY EMBRACE THE CHALLENGE AND
OPPORTUNITY THAT WE'VE GOT ON BOTH FOOD SAFETY AND NUTRITION.
AND WE'VE GOT BROAD SUPPORT TO DO THIS FROM CONGRESS, FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION, AND FROM THE PRESIDENT ON DOWN, AND THE
FIRST LADY, AS I'VE ALREADY MENTIONED, AND THE PUBLIC IS
ALIGNED.
THE FOOD INDUSTRY CONSUMER GROUPS ARE ALL SEEING THAT THIS
IS A TIME WHEN WE DO HAVE TO MAKE SOME REALLY FUNDAMENTAL
SHIFTS IN OUR PROGRAM AND REALLY TAKE IT TO A NEW LEVEL.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE FORCES ARE ALIGNED, AND I JUST FEEL
FORTUNATE TO BE IN A POSITION TO WORK WITH THE PEOPLE THAT ARE,
YOU KNOW, THAT ARE COMMITTED TO THIS, AND WORKING TOGETHER
TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
>> Man: HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO THIS OVERALL MISSION THAT YOU
REPORT DIRECTLY TO THE COMMISSIONER?
>> OH, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
I THINK WHEN YOU HAVE MULTIPLE SUB-COMPONENTS OF AN AGENCY
WORKING ON THE SAME TOPIC, YOU'VE GOT A COMMISSIONER WHO'S
GOT LOTS OF THINGS TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT, I THINK IT IS
VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE FOODS PROGRAM, BECAUSE IT IS SO
PRIMARY, FUNCTION IN A UNIFIED WAY AND BE ELEVATED SO THAT THE
LEADERSHIP OF THE PROGRAM IS DIRECTLY LINKED WITH
THE COMMISSIONER.
IT'S NOT JUST ME, PERSONALLY.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE FORMED A LEADERSHIP TEAM WITHIN THE FOODS
PROGRAM THAT HAS THE TOP LEADERS OF THESE THREE MAJOR UNITS --
CENTER FOR FOOD SAFETY; CENTER FOR VETERINARY MEDICINE;
OFFICE OF REGULATORY AFFAIRS, THE FIELD FORCE.
WE ARE PART OF A COMMON EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM FOR
THE FOODS PROGRAM, WHICH IS DIRECTLY LINKED WITH
THE COMMISSIONER.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN BROUGHT CLOSER
TO THE COMMISSIONER, AND I'M THE PERSON WHO, YOU KNOW, HAPPENS TO
SIT AT THE TOP, BUT IT'S AS PART OF A TEAM THAT HAS REALLY
CONNECTED CLOSELY TO THE COMMISSIONER.
>> Man: SO WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO DO THIS?
YOU COULD DO ALMOST ANYTHING WITHIN THIS FIELD.
BUT YOU'VE CHOSEN TO COME BACK TO THE FDA.
WHY IS THAT?
>> WELL, I STARTED MY CAREER AT FDA BACK IN THE '70s
AS A STAFF LAWYER.
I WAS BACK IN THE '90s AS DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR POLICY.
FDA HAS BEEN IN MY BLOOD SINCE DAY ONE.
AND SO, WHEN THE COMMISSIONER MADE THIS OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE,
I REALLY COULDN'T SAY NO.
AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY, HER COMMITMENT TO DOING THIS, TO
ELEVATING THE PROGRAM AND TO MOVING IN THIS NEW DIRECTION,
THE PASSION SHE FEELS FOR BOTH THE SAFETY AND NUTRITION SIDE
OF THE MISSION, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST IRRESISTIBLE.
SO I'M EXACTLY WHERE I SHOULD BE.