![\"Obama](\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/03\/barack-hamburg.jpg\")
<\/a>Obama selects Margaret Hamburg to head FDA.<\/p><\/div>\n
So, Obama<\/a> has announced the nomination of former New York City Health Commissioner Margaret Hamburg as FDA<\/a> commissioner. He’s also selected Baltimore Health Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein as her deputy. The president believes that the food safety system in the U.S. is a “hazard to public health,” and is in bad need of revision.<\/p>\n Obama cited a string of food safety problems in recent years. Some examples include contaminated spinach<\/a> in 2006, salmonella in peppers and possibly tomatoes<\/a> last year; and this year, a massive salmonella outbreak in peanut products which sickened more than 600 people and is suspected of causing nine deaths.<\/p>\n The peanut recall was one of the largest in U.S. history, and food contamination cases have tripled since the ’90s.<\/p>\n Underfunding and understaffing at the FDA has left the agency unable to conduct annual inspections at nearly enough of the 150,000 food processing plants and warehouses in the country.<\/p>\n Hamburg’s appointment requires Senate confirmation, while Sharfstein does not.<\/p>\n (via: USA Today<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President Obama has been busy working on the unenviable task of fixing the U.S. economy. While that fiasco has been largely a reactive effort, the president is trying to be more proactive by addressing another issue before something equally devastating … Continue reading