"We are carefully to preserve that life which the Author of nature has given us, for it was no idle gift." Harvey W. Wiley From his commencement address "Life and the Coming Time" Hanover College, 1867 almonella is too much with us. Its all-pervasiveness knows no season or climate. It is equally at home in the intestinal tracts of man and of other animals, even reptiles. The Food and Drug Administration has waged a concerted, comprehensive, and relentless campaign against contamination of foods by this micro-organism that is responsible for one of man's most troublesome gastroenteric diseases. The campaign will continue. But assurance that foods traded in commerce are free of Salmonella contamination is only a part of total protection. There may be sources of salmonellosis in the home itself. Almost any household pet can become a carrier of the micro-organism, and some pets are notorious as potential sources (see page 15). To keep infections from these sources to a minimum, the householder must learn more about the Bug, what it is capable of doing, and the sanitary measures necessary, including the care of pets, for protection of family members. FDA hopes that increasing public education about Salmonella will help eliminate this frequent cause of an unwanted, avoidable illness. “T quotes here is a certain kind of regulatory philosophy, or operational philosophy, which is guiding our present thinking about the foodrelated activities of this Agency. We believe our responsibility is, first and foremost, consumer protection. We believe that this responsibility is best exercised through the Government acting to do those things it can do best and the industry acting to do those things it can do best. It is a responsibility of Government to insure a safe and nutritious food supply and to see to it that there is truth to the consumer in the marketing of food products. It is the responsibility of the food industry to continue to provide a safe and nutritious food supply and to insure that the consumer has intelligent information upon which choices can be made. Based on assurances of safety and nutrition, the consumer should in the free market make his or her own choice." James D. Grant, Deputy Commissioner of Food and Drugs, to the Washington Representatives of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Washington, D.C., June 3, 1970. "W e do have an emotional commitment, a simple one; this is to take the emotion out of our work. We are not interested in any kind of confrontation, in political or bureaucratic victories; we are moving very swiftly toward relationships based not on crusades or rhetoric but on matters of equity and justice and effectiveness. "In fact, FDA has a new platform, a new philosophy, which I defined before the Congressional Subcommittee on Inter-Governmental Relations two weeks ago: 'The American people merit a strong, independent, scientifically sound, well-managed, wellsupported FDA in order that vital public interests can be protected. FDA shall be a balanced institution, based on scientific competence and fair administration of regulatory law. FDA will be responsive to human concern and the needs of the public health through appropriate dissemination of scientific information to professionals, educational institutions, and other arms of Government'." Charles C. Edwards, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, at the Midwest Pharmaceutical Advertising Club, Chicago, Illinois, June 23, 1970. Elliot L. Richardson Secretary, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare Roger O. Egeberg, M.D. Asst. Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs Charles C. Edwards, M.D. Harold C. Hopkins/Editorial Director Joan M. Galloway/Managing Editor PHOTOGRAPHY: Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry, 8; National Communicable Disease Center, center left and right 18, bottom left 20; FDA. FDA PAPERS, the official magazine of the Food and Drug Administration, is published monthly. except for combined July-August and DecemberJanuary issues Subscriptions may be ordered from the Superintendent of Documents. Government Printing Office. Washington, DC 20402. at $6.00 a year ($1.50 additional for foreign mailing) Address for editorial matters: FDA PAPERS, CE-20, Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Md. 20852. Articles published in FDA PAPERS are in the public domain and text may be republished without permission. Use of funds for printing this publication approved by Director of the Bureau of the Budget August 15, 1966. Section 705 [375] of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. (a) The Secretary shall cause to be published from time to time reports summarizing all judgments, decrees, and court orders which have been rendered under this Act, including the nature of the charge and the disposition thereof. (b) The Secretary may also cause to be disseminated information regarding food, drugs devices, or cosmetics in situations involving, in the opinion of the Secretary, imminent danger to health, or gross deception of the consumer. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the Secretary from collecting, reporting, and illustrating the results of the investigations of the Department. Advisors to the Editor* H. Nelson Fitton, Department of Agriculture; *The Food and Drug Administration is solely responsible for the contents of FDA PAPERS. The Advisors to the Editor are consultants on matters relating to the functions of the Federal Departments and Agencies listed. FDA PAPERS VOL. 4, NO. 6/JULY-AUGUST 1970 Food Safety Why FDA decided to take a new look at food additives previously considered safe for health and how the Agency will go about it. Chicago: The Crossroads District Its manufacturing, agriculture, population, location, and transportation facilities make it outsize in every way. Household Pets and Salmonella The home itself may be a source of The Animal Drug Amendments Producers of existing and new animal drugs will find it easier to comply with the law under newly proposed regulations. Foreign Scientists at FDA Lab men and women the world over come to learn and take home Agency scientific methods and techniques. Field Reports 4 8 15 21 24 28 |