FDA Funding Headed in the Right Direction

May 16, 2008 Washington – United States Senate Committee on Appropriations has committed $275 million to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as part of the 2008 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill.

“It is great to see leaders like Senator Kohl willing to put the money where our mouths are, when it comes to food safety,” said National Fisheries Institute (NFI) president John Connelly. “To ensure our seafood supply remains a safe, nutritious part of the American plate, FDA must have the money and the manpower to do its job. The $125 million for FDA’s efforts on food safety shows a commitment to that goal.”

NFI has been working with the Alliance for a Stronger FDA to help lawmakers understand why the cornerstone of an effective food safety program is a strong FDA. (The Alliance is an unusually broad coalition of business, patient groups, trade association and public health advocacy organizations --- all committed to increasingly FDA resources.) The seafood community has long sought a balanced approach to enhancing FDA’s food safety capacity and ways to strengthen the relationship between federal and state food safety agencies. Receiving proper funding has always been key to archiving these goals.

“The FDA’s mission is vital and the House can send a message that it understands that by supporting this funding commitment,” said Connelly.

The push to properly fund FDA was a topic at NFI’s Spring Political Conference this week in Washington. NFI members met with dozens of Senate and House members to express their continued support for increased FDA funding.

For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com.

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