GMA Calls On Congress to Increase FDA Budget

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — In a letter to Congress, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) today called for a substantial increase in the FY 2009 budget of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to support the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and related activities in the Office of Regulatory Affairs.

“The FDA is responsible for regulating 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, but receives only about one-third of the government’s food safety funding. This needs to change if we are to maintain our position of global leadership and assure consumer confidence in the U.S. food industry.

“GMA supports sustained increased funding for FDA’s food program. This funding is needed to:

1.) Provide FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) with the necessary scientific expertise and leadership capacity to properly assess risks and make science-based regulatory decisions.

2.) Increase the number of FDA inspectors and laboratory personnel in its Office of Regulatory Affairs to oversee the manufacture, distribution, and importation of food products nationwide.

“We join with the Alliance for a Stronger FDA, of which GMA is a founding member, to call for a $380 million increase for the FDA budget in FY 2009, of which $150 million is for food safety and related activities, and an additional $100 million to be directed to the modernization of the agency’s critical information technology systems.

“GMA and its member companies are committed to working with Congress to ensure FDA has the resources it needs to perform its critical food safety mission.”

For a copy of the letter, please contact Scott Openshaw.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) represents the world’s leading food, beverage and consumer products companies. The association promotes sound public policy, champions initiatives that increase productivity and growth and helps to protect the safety and security of the food supply through scientific excellence. The GMA board of directors is comprised of chief executive officers from the association’s member companies. The $2.1 trillion food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry employs 14 million workers, and contributes over $1 trillion in added value to the nation’s economy. For more information, visit the GMA Web site at http://www.gmaonline.org/.

Grocery Manufacturers Association

CONTACT: Scott Openshaw, +1-202-295-3957, or Brian Kennedy,+1-202-639-5994, both of Grocery Manufacturers Association

Web Site: http://www.gmaonline.org/