CFSAN Posts Its 2006 Program Priorities

On May 3, 2006, FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) posted on the web a copy of its FY 2006 Program Priorities. This document provides the Center's work product expectations to support CFSAN Program Priorities for the current fiscal year 2006 (October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006), and is based on comments CFSAN received from stakeholders, as well as comments generated internally. The focus is on the question: "Where do we do the most good for consumers and the overall public health?"

The FY 2006 document is structured differently than previous years. It divides the Center work plan into five primary sections that represent the overarching Center goals:

• Ensuring Food Defense
• Ensuring Food Safety
• Improving Nutrition
• Ensuring Dietary Supplement and Cosmetic Safety and Management Services
• Priority Ongoing Activities

The work plan focuses on high priority areas that help ensure the safety of our regulated products.

CFSAN Releases 2005 Program Priorities Report Card

CFSAN has posted its end-of-year report of our FY 2005 program priority accomplishments for FDA's foods program. CFSAN completed 78% (87 out of 111) of its "A" List goals from the ambitious FY 2005 plan. Some of the significant accomplishments are:

• Completion of the final rulemaking implementing three of the four provisions under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Act of 2002 (the BT Act), viewed as a critical step in the Center goal of enhancing the security of the American food supply
• CFSAN's proposal to require shell egg producers to implement measures to prevent Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) from contaminating eggs on the farm
• As part of its commitment to address the Nation's obesity problem, FDA's re-establishment of the Obesity Working Group 2 (OWG 2) to continue work started in FY 2004 to implement recommendations of the "Calories Count" Report
• Publication of a report entitled "Food cGMPs Modernization - A Focus on Food Safety," summarizing the comments on the foods cGMPs, both written and oral that was offered to the Agency by FDA's stakeholders

The full report is available: CFSAN 2005 Program Priorities Report Card.

The Partnership for Food Safety Education on the Today Show, Friday, May 5^th

On Friday morning at approximately 8:30 a.m., the NBC Today Show will feature a segment on basic safe food handling with a live demonstration on the Plaza. Shelley Feist, the Partnership's Executive Director, will represent the Partnership and conduct the approximately 5 minute demonstration with a Today Show host. The "lively" Plaza demonstration is entirely focused on the FightBAC!® core four messages - Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.

As a supporting member of the Partnership, and as a Federal liaison to the effort, CFSAN has worked over these past few years to build up the credibility that earned Fight BAC! the opportunity to be featured on the NBC Today Show.

More details about Friday: A taped segment of approximately 1 minute will lead into the live demonstration. Featured in the taped segment will be statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the prevalence of food borne illness in the United States, and on-camera CDC representative who will indicate that many foods can be the source of foodborne illness if they are not handled properly.

FDA Issues Guidance for Industry on Labeling for Lecithin Derived from Soy

FDA has issued a document, titled "Guidance for Industry: Guidance on the Labeling of Certain Uses of Lecithin Derived From Soy Under Section 403(w) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act," which explains FDA's current thinking on the labeling of certain uses of lecithin derived from soy under the act. This guidance is part of FDA's implementation of the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA). FDA will accept public comments on the document at any time. Inquiries should be directed to the FDA contact, Paul Kuznesof, at 301-436-1289 or . The complete Federal Register notice announcing the guidance is available: 71 FR 25844.

CFSAN Posts Produce Safety Information for Consumers

CFSAN has posted its produce safety consumer brochure, "Safe Handling of Raw Produce and Fresh-squeezed Fruit and Vegetable Juices."

Office of Food Safety, Defense, and Outreach

CFSAN Web site: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/