FDA announces new “Focus on the Positive” Campaign | Civil Eats

FDA announces new “Focus on the Positive” Campaign

Newly appointed Food and Drug Administration chief Joshua Sharfstein announced this afternoon that in the wake of this week’s pistachio scandal, the agency would launch a new Safest Food Awareness Bureau in early 2010. “We live in such a ‘bad news’ world,” said Sharfstein, “this new approach will focus on the positive news.” Instead of announcing when food is contaminated, the new agency will be tasked with issuing a daily announcement of non-contaminated American foods, slowly phasing out the current policy of announcing food recalls directly to the public.

“This new program addresses the issue of an upswing in the number of food safety challenges, a shift that we do not see swinging back down in the next few decades,” Sharfstein stated at today’s press conference. This may be good news for consumers – instead of focusing on the increasing number of things we cannot eat, we can celebrate the few things we can. Sharfstein announced that the FDA will begin a 9-month shift towards the new approach this month, with a campaign entitled “Focus on the Positive.” Under the new guidelines, announcements about food contamination will be “focused on proactive statements, for example: ‘Try eating almonds and lettuce today, but stay away from spinach’”, said Sharfstein. The new agency plans on announcing its interim commissioner at the end of May 2009.

We’ll bring the news to you.

Get the weekly Civil Eats newsletter, delivered to your inbox.

Today’s food system is complex.

Invest in nonprofit journalism that tells the whole story.

Anya Fernald was most recently Executive Director of Slow Food Nation, and has just launched a new venture - Live Culture Co. Read more >

Like the story?
Join the conversation.

  1. Great, so now the public won't know what's contaminated. This reeks of lobbyist influence from the food industry.
  2. Gwen
    Hm. I don't really get it. They're going to test food and tell us if it's safe? I didn't know the FDA could do that.
  3. Molly
    ... because preventing the public from frowning will also prevent them from dying when they eat contaminated food?

    Stupidest, most dangerous thing I've heard today.

More from

2023 Farm Bill

Featured

Author Tamar Adler and the cover of her new book, The Everlasting Meal Cookbook, about reducing food waste while cooking delicious food. (Author photo credit: Aaron Stern)

Tamar Adler Teaches Home Cooks to Turn Food Waste Into Dinner

The author of the beloved book “An Everlasting Meal” talks about her new companion cookbook geared toward making biscuits with sour milk and other tips for treating leftover food with the respect it deserves.

Popular

Op-ed: Black Women, Architects of the American Kitchen, Deserve a Rightful Place in the Sun

A group of Black women lead a cooking class; a banner above the chalkboard reads,

The True Cost of Tuna: Marine Observers Dying at Sea

A watercolor-style illustration of a marine observer looking through binoculars at a tuna fishing vessel. (Illustration credit: Tina Zellmer)

Food Prices Are Still High. What Role Do Corporate Profits Play?

a young family carries the shopping in together despite high food prices

This Community Garden Helps Farmworkers Feed Themselves. Now It’s Facing Eviction.

A farmworkers grows stands in the fields harvesting food at the Tierras Milperas community garden.