Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Obama Promises Food-Safety Overhaul

Cites 'public health hazard,' names FDA picks

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 14, 2009 8:14 AM CDT

(Newser) – President Obama announced a food-safety overhaul in his weekly radio address today, describing a new panel that will review the issue and naming his choices for FDA heads, the New York Times reports. “In the end, food safety is something I take seriously, not just as your president, but as a parent,” said Obama, calling the government's inspection of just 5% of food-processing plants "a hazard to the public health."

Obama confirmed that he's named former New York City health commissioner Margaret Hamburg as FDA commissioner and Baltimore health commissioner Joshua Sharfstein as head deputy. He also announced the formation of the Food Safety Working Group, which will recommend changes to existing laws and regulations. Some 76 million people in the US get sick yearly from contaminated food; about 5,000 die, say public health experts.

Obama announced new food-safety measures. (YouTube)

Obama named his choices for FDA heads. (YouTube)

Obama speaks to the nation in his weekly radio address. (YouTube)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

AP Photo

35 Brutally Honest Reasons Men Say No to Sex (The Stir)

Which Entertainer Pulled Out of 'Inappropriate' Whitney Tribute? (NewsOne)

The French Government Wants to Tone My Vagina (Slate)

Obama Photo on Facebook Helps Catch Drug Dealer (HuffPost)

Hottest Women to Ever Appear in the SI Swimsuit Issue (Bleacher Report)

Partner Links

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

Showing 3 of 4 comments

Guest

Mar 15, 2009 7:22 AM CDT

3 people have died this year in my home state of Minnesota from peanut butter, and there is debate on if there is need for additional regulation!!! Are we all going mad? Chantix passed with flying colors to hit the market as the ultimate method to quit smoking even though it was known it caused clinical depression, not there are cases of suicide being connected to the drug, and we are here arguing about Obama asking for stricter oversight. Seriously?

Guest

Mar 14, 2009 2:45 AM CDT

Oh, did he mean we were sending inspectors to China? I musta missed that.

Doctor-Zaius

Mar 13, 2009 11:14 PM CDT

The market will take care of itself! Now lets all eat some Chinese chocolate and play with our poison Chinese toys.

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Rick Santorum: Birth Control Is 'Not OK'

Valentine's Day Role-Playing Goes Very Wrong

New York Times (Source Grid »)

Watch the address
YouTube

Politics • Health

FDA • food safety • Obama administration • President Obama • radio address • Margaret Hamburg

More Newser Stories

US Drones Return to Hit Rescuers, Funerals

Strikes occurring every 4 days under Obama: report

(NEWSER) - A few days back, President Obama said that US drone attacks in Pakistan had "not caused a huge number of civilian casualties." But a Bureau of Investigative Journalism report finds that somewhere between 282 and 535 civilians, including 60 children, have been "credibly reported" killed in the campaign. Secondary strikes target groups of rescuers shortly after attacks, while other drones have killed dozens at funerals. Obama has drastically escalated the drone program; some 260 strikes have occurred an average of once every four days under his administration. More»

Geithner: Obama Won't Ask Me to Stay

Treasury secretary says he's done after election

(NEWSER) - Tim Geithner is pretty sure he's going to be joining the ranks of the jobless after the election: The Treasury secretary—the longest serving member of President Obama's economic team—tells Bloomberg that Obama is "not going to ask me to stay on, I’m pretty confident. I’m confident he’ll be president. But I’m also confident he’s going to have the privilege of having another secretary of the Treasury." The White House announced in August that Geithner would stay put through the election, amid Beltway rumblings that he would step down. More»

Obama Losing Super PAC War

...because he's not terribly interested in fighting it

(NEWSER) - Democrats saw the way Mitt Romney's super PAC destroyed Newt Gingrich in Iowa, and it terrified them, because President Obama's super PAC—or as Politico terms it, "not-so-super PAC"—doesn't have the muscle for anything like that. "It's like when China got the bomb," says one Democrat close to the PAC, "We thought we were the ones with cash supremacy. That's clearly not the case." Obama's Priorities USA Action has just $5 million in the bank, less than half Romney's $12 million. More»

FDA Stops All Imports of Orange Juice

Feds will test for fungicide

(NEWSER) - Orange juice may be a little scarce (and a lot more expensive) in coming days: The FDA has stopped imports from all countries after traces of a fungicide turned up in samples from Brazil, reports Bloomberg . The agency will test for the chemical, called carbendazim, and destroy any batches with even low levels. Consumer groups already are calling for stricter standards on this chemical and others over the scare. More»

FDA: Fungicide Is in Your OJ

An anonymous juice company alerted agency to problem

(NEWSER) - Nothing says "good morning!" quite like some fungicide in your OJ. Fungicide? That's what's in there, as per the FDA itself. In a letter sent to the entire juice industry yesterday, the FDA revealed that an anonymous juice company last month detected low levels of carbendazim in its juice—and that of its competitors. Carbendazim is, you guessed it, a fungicide, which is used to control fungi or fungal spores in agriculture. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Obama Promises Food-Safety Overhaul

Cites 'public health hazard,' names FDA picks

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

FDA • food safety • Obama administration • President Obama • radio address • Margaret Hamburg

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

US Drones Return to Hit Rescuers, Funerals

Strikes occurring every 4 days under Obama: report

Geithner: Obama Won't Ask Me to Stay

Treasury secretary says he's done after election

Obama Losing Super PAC War

...because he's not terribly interested in fighting it

FDA Stops All Imports of Orange Juice

Feds will test for fungicide

FDA: Fungicide Is in Your OJ

An anonymous juice company alerted agency to problem

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Obama Promises Food-Safety Overhaul

Cites 'public health hazard,' names FDA picks

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

FDA • food safety • Obama administration • President Obama • radio address • Margaret Hamburg

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

US Drones Return to Hit Rescuers, Funerals

Strikes occurring every 4 days under Obama: report

Geithner: Obama Won't Ask Me to Stay

Treasury secretary says he's done after election

Obama Losing Super PAC War

...because he's not terribly interested in fighting it

FDA Stops All Imports of Orange Juice

Feds will test for fungicide

FDA: Fungicide Is in Your OJ

An anonymous juice company alerted agency to problem

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?