The FDA has warned that in all likelihood contaminated feed was delivered to additional poultry farms:
FDA and USDA anticipate that as the investigation continues additional farms will likely be identified that received contaminated feed. As indicated in previous updates, FDA and USDA have also traced contaminated feed to swine farms in several states. The same procedures are being followed in relation to both swine and poultry; animals are being quarantined by state order or voluntarily held by the owners and USDA is offering compensation for depopulation and disposal of both swine and poultry that have been fed contaminated products.
and has appointed an Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection to act as point man in the activity that was the reason that the agency was created in the first place:
Commissioner of Food and Drugs Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach today announced the creation of the position of Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection to provide advice and counsel to the Commissioner on strategic and substantive food safety and food defense matters.
David Acheson, M.D., F.R.C.P. will be assigned to this new senior leadership role.
Currently, Dr. Acheson serves as chief medical officer and director of the Office of Food Defense, Communication and Emergency Response at the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN).
In his new role, Dr. Acheson will work with individual FDA product centers, as well as the Office of Regulatory Affairs to coordinate FDA’s food safety and defense assignments and commitments.
In addition, Dr. Acheson will serve as the commissioner’s direct liaison to the Department of Health and Human Services, of which FDA is a part, and to other U.S. departments and agencies on food safety and food defense related inter-agency initiatives.
I feel safer already. I’ll avoid additional snark since I’m willing to give the man a chance. However, the FDA like many if not most federal agencies is still stuck in a 1950’s mentality notwithstanding Vice President Al Gore’s “Re-inventing Government” project of ten years ago.
American corporations have been through two major shakeups over the last 30 years. First, there was the reorganization of the late 1970’s-early 1980’s (downsizing). Then, there was the networking and distribution of function that occurred in the 1990’s. The federal government has largely escaped both of these sets of reforms.
Here’s a good explanation of why it may not be the best idea to make your own dog food. I’ll add that, since most vitamin supplements are made in China and since the contamination is present in the feed of chickens and hogs, you need to be very careful in formulating your homemade pet food if you want to accomplish anything at all. Personally, it’s a commitment I don’t feel comfortable in making.
