CFSAN Constituent Update - FDA Food Advisory Committee Discontinued

FDA Food Advisory Committee Discontinued Agency will turn to the FDA Science Board, the Risk Communication Advisory Committee and elsewhere for expert advice as needed December 12, 2017 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it will not renew the charter of the Food Advisory Committee. FDA instead will address relevant issues using other standing committees and consulting with individual additional experts in appropriate subjects as needed. In addition, the agency will continue its robust stakeholder engagement program and to solicit broad public and expert input on its policy documents and regulations.  The FDA’s Food Advisory Committee has held only a handful of meetings over the past several years and has not met since 2015. Therefore, FDA has determined that the effort and expense of maintaining the advisory committee is no longer justified.  The FDA Foods and Veterinary Medicine Program places great value on gaining expert advice and stakeholder engagement as it makes scientific policy decisions and is committed to work with the FDA Science Board and other FDA advisory committees and panels. For example, the program is already developing plans for 2018 to engage the FDA Science Board in the review of Food and Veterinary Medicine research priorities and to address evolving applications of whole genome sequencing technologies for regulatory food safety. In addition, FDA plans to seek advice from the Risk Communication Advisory Committee to address best practices for communicating with consumers about unavoidable contaminants in the food supply.  The Food Advisory Committee was established on March 6, 1992. The termination of the Food Advisory Committee is effective December 12, 2017. FDA is grateful to the most recent committee members and their predecessors for their service to FDA and commitment to public health and food safety. For Additional Information: Federal Register notice