Sunday, August 19, 2007

FDA cancels plans to close food-testing labs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday abandoned plans to close field laboratories that some said were vital to protecting the nation's food supply from contamination.

The FDA, which is responsible for overseeing about 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, had proposed closing seven of its 13 labs around the country to streamline operations. The labs handle testing of food and other products.

Lawmakers had criticized the idea, saying it would hurt an already understaffed effort to identify contaminated food.

"To assure our success and allow additional time to gather input, I am canceling plans for the rollout of all changes to our organizational structure," FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs Margaret Glavin said in an e-mail to colleagues about the food labs.

The FDA has faced intense criticism after recent safety scares involving tainted imports of Chinese seafood, wheat gluten and toothpaste. The incidents have drawn attention to the agency's low rate of food inspections and prompted calls in Congress for more aggressive surveillance of Chinese goods.

Lawmakers said they welcomed the agency's decision to scrap the lab closures.

"If it had been implemented, the FDA's plan could have put the American public health at an even greater risk," Rep. Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat, said in a statement.

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