Dear Colleague, FDA Foods Community:
I am writing to inform you of management changes I am making in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). As all of you know, food safety has been the centerpiece of our program for several years, and we organized our Center to address that priority. Since September 11th, 2001, the "security" of our Nation's food supply has become equally important. And more recently, as we come to recognize that our country is facing an epidemic in obesity -- together with the need to pay greater attention to dietary supplements -- our "applied nutrition" program is again coming to the forefront. The following management changes are designed to help the Center respond more rapidly, efficiently and effectively to these current Agency priorities.
Food Security - I am designating Dr. Robert Brackett, Director, Food Safety, as the new food security/counter-terrorism focal point for the Center. Many people in the Center are involved in food security/counter-terrorism activities. Dr. Brackett and his staff will serve as a focal point and will coordinate food security/counter-terrorism activities within CFSAN, with others in FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services, with other federal and state agencies, with the industry, and with other stakeholders. To reflect this change in focus, the name of the Food Safety Staff will be changed to the "Food Safety and Security Staff." This change also emphasizes the close linkage between food safety and food security activities, and that an effective strategy will consider international contamination within the broader range of public health threats to the food supply.
Applied Nutrition - In order to enlarge the team already addressing the "applied nutrition" issues in CFSAN, I am creating a new position on my Senior Management Team, a "Senior Advisor for Applied Nutrition." This is being done so that there will be an increased ability to coordinate and respond to the growing issues surrounding nutrition, obesity and dietary supplements. Our emphasis here needs to be on strong science and on providing better information to consumers. I have asked Dr. Alan Rulis, currently Director, Office of Food Additive Safety (OFAS), to serve in this position on an interim basis until the position can be filled permanently. Dr. Rulis will focus on the Commissioner's Consumer Health Information for Better Nutrition initiative with Dr. Christine Taylor, Director, Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements (ONPLDS) and Dr. Elizabeth Yetley, CFSAN's Lead Scientist for Nutrition. He will, among other things, continue to serve on the Commissioner's Task Force, oversee the preparation of the Task Force's final report, and assist at a senior level within the Center and elsewhere to begin implementing the report's recommendations. During the interim period, while Dr. Rulis serves in this new role, Dr. Laura Tarantino, Deputy Director, OFAS, will be the Acting Director of OFAS.
These changes became effective Monday, June 2nd. I believe these changes will increase our responsiveness to these priorities, and that they will improve our internal efficiency as well.
I want to thank Dr. Brackett and Dr. Rulis for stepping into these new roles, and the CFSAN staff who will be working with them. I'm sure that with all of us working together, we will be able to meet these new challenges. I ask for your continued support of the FDA's foods program, and I will continue to keep you apprised of significant developments.
Sincerely,
Joseph A. Levitt