Consumer Federation of America today praised the House and Senate conferees for providing the Food and Drug Administration with an additional $50 million increase in appropriations for FY2012.  Congress instructed the FDA to use most of that increase ($39 million) for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act.

“When Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, it recognized the need to shift FDA’s approach to food safety from a reactive one to a preventive approach,” said Chris Waldrop, Director of the Food Policy Institute at Consumer Federation of America. “In order to successfully implement the law and protect consumers from foodborne illness, FDA must be provided with sufficient resources. We are encouraged by the conferees’ action today and hope that Congress will continue its commitment to providing FDA with additional needed resources.”