Michael Taylor, FDA’s commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine, testified before Congress that more funding is needed for effective FSMA enforcement. “Simply put, we cannot achieve our objective of a safer food supply without a significant increase in resources,” Taylor said during a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
When it was approved in 2010, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that, over five years, FSMA would require an additional $583 million in FDA’s budget. Last year, FDA said it needed $400 to $450 million for FSMA training and enforcement, but the modest budget increase contained in the 2014 fiscal omnibus budget fell short of the total amount needed.