FoodLogistics.com |

Washington: The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) president and CEO Cal Dooley today testified before the U.S. Senate's Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions regarding the food and beverage industry's proposal to strengthen, modernize and improve the system governing the nation's food supply, including imported food products and ingredients.

"Americans enjoy the safest food supply in the world, but food and beverage companies recognize that steps must be taken to make our food supply even safer," says Dooley.

He went on to say that ensuring the safety of products and thereby maintaining consumer confidence of is the single most important goal of the food and beverage industry, especially in the face of increasing food imports and changing consumer preferences.

"We believe that the prevention of contamination, through the adoption of preventive controls, should continue to be the foundation of our nation's food safety strategies.”

Dooley also said the GMA wants Congress to require expand the FDA's ability to build the capacity of foreign governments todetect threats and to harmonize food safety standards, as well as give the FDA the authority to detain imports when inspections of foreign facilities are warranted but are unduly delayed or denied.

In addition, the GMA wants Congress to enhance training of federal and state inspectors and focus the FDA inspections on imports posing greater risk to public health by creating a voluntary program to expedite food imports posing no risk. He also suggested that they modernize preventative controls for packaged food products to reflect scientific advances.

"Recognizing that FDA must be armed with the appropriate resources to administer this program and fulfill its critical food safety mission we call on the Administration and Congress to expand the capacity of FDA, by providing the Agency with the resources it needs to get the job done," he says.