Presidential Politics

The election cycle has been vicious getting to this point, but now that it’s over the produce industry has to move forward and work with a new administration. How will the Democratic administration affect our industry? Obama hasn’t addressed it directly, but the people he appoints will impact businesses.

One of the most important appointments, as it affects the fresh-cut industry, will be the FDA Commissioner. The current commissioner, Andrew Von Eschenbach, is a Bush appointee and will likely not stay on under Obama. One name reported to be on the short list is Steven Nissen, a heart specialist with the Cleveland Clinic. Nissen comes from the pharmaceutical side of FDA’s mission, and he’s riled some pharmaceutical companies because of his stringent view on drug safety. That might be something he carries over into the food side of FDA if he’s approved by Congress, which may prove difficult because of his ties to drug companies. Howard Dean, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, and former Senator Tom Daschle also are reportedly on the short list for either FDA commissioner or Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Health care is a priority for Obama, so it makes sense that FDA appointees would come from the pharmaceutical and health care industries. Under the Obama administration, it’s likely that FDA will become more aggressive in enforcing laws and regulations and will face less criticism from Congress -– and potentially more funding to carry out its mission.

This could all result in more scrutiny of the food industry, specifically food safety. That’s not something to fear, especially if FDA works with the industry to make science-based guidelines that don’t burden businesses. Unfortunately, the two members of Congress whose bills have the best chance of being adopted both included fees imposed on businesses for food safety audits.

More governmental influence in the food industry is highly likely, but the worst thing that can happen is that the president-elect waits to appoint a new secretary and commissioner. FDA needs leadership right away to continue to build on the credibility that the agency has gained in recent years. FDA can’t make tough decisions and also loses its focus when it doesn’t have a strong leader.


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