Food security action plan given top priority

A top priority for the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) this year will be to protect the nation's food supply from potential terrorist attack an agency official said this week according to a report from Reuters Health.

Joseph A. Levitt, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), said the centre's top priority for the fiscal year 2002 would be to address the security of the nation's food supply in light of recent events, such as last September's attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.

The report adds that Levitt insisted the division's top priority would be to create a ''Food Security Action Plan'' for developing and implementing strategies for assessing and addressing the potential threat to the nation's domestic and imported food supply posed by terrorist groups.

Full details of the FDA's plans will be made available later this year. Although plans, according to the article, include developing labelling for irradiated food products, a proposal for updating nutrient labelling on foods, and rules for safe handling of eggs, juice and seafood.

The full FDA priority list is scheduled for publication on the agency's web site at www.fda.gov​