President-elect Barack Obama and the new Congress should increase spending for food safety measures, the Grocery Manufacturers Association said on Thursday according to Reuters.
Consumers are concerned about food safety after several high-profile contamination scares, said the group, which represents major food makers like General Mills and ConAgra Foods.
The group urged the Obama administration to boost food-related spending for the Food and Drug Administration to US$900m by fiscal 2012, up from US$510m in fiscal 2008 and an estimated US$585m for fiscal 2009.
'Although spending has increased in recent years, that spending has not kept pace with inflation,' said Scott Faber, the group's vice president for federal affairs.
'As a result, we've been losing scientists and inspectors and have been unable to keep pace with the growing amount of (food) imports as well as changing consumer preferences,' Faber told reporters.
Congress should pass laws requiring companies selling food in the US to have a food safety plan. The plan would help determine potential sources of contamination and set forth food safety controls, the association said.
The group supported giving the FDA mandatory recall authority and the power to regulate fruits and vegetables through new federal safety standards for certain products.
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