The Safe Food Coalition submitted the following request Secretary of Agriculture Perdue asking him to reconsider a recently announced proposal to transfer the U.S. Codex Office from USDA’s food safety division to a newly created Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. The mission of the U.S. Codex Office is “the development and advancement of science-based food standards for the benefit of the United States and the worldwide community.” Delegates from the Office serve on the international Codex Alimentarius Commission, also known as the international food code. The Coalition’s letter expresses concern that the proposed move will politicize food safety policy and undermine science-based standards. Former top food safety officials at USDA under the Clinton, Bush, and Obama Administrations have all come out against the Secretary’s decision to move the Codex Office.

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