The Food and Drug Administration began implementing its unified Human Foods Program reorganization Tuesday, with the hope of elevating nutrition and food safety in the department.
The reorganization, which affects over 8,000 employees, is the largest in the agency’s modern history, FDA said in a release. It restructures field operations now under the Office of Inspections and Investigations, creating an “enterprise-wide structure” to increase collaboration between field investigators and other subject matter experts in the agency.
Additionally, through the reorganization FDA is piloting a new online consumer complaint form to report issues with food and dietary supplements. Previously, complaints were directed to consumer complaint coordinators in the Office of Regulatory Affairs. Now, consumers can call 1-888-SAFEFOOD to submit complaints by phone.
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This process is expected to expedite the delivery of inquiries to the appropriate public health expert and allow for earlier detection of potential public health problems, according to FDA.
The reorganization plan was approved by the Department of Health and Human Services in May. Recommendations by the Reagan-Udall Foundation spurred the changes in the wake of the infant formula shortage.
“The work has really only begun,” FDA officials said in a statement. “We are hopeful this modernization and reorganization will enhance transparency and trust in the agency as we work together both inside and outside the FDA to better meet our country’s shared public health goals.”
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