Last week IDFA’s Connie Tipton and the regulatory team met with the director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and senior staff at the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) offices in College Park, Maryland. During the hour-long meeting, the participants discussed a range of topics including implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act, food standards for flavored milk and yogurt, and the Center for Veterinary Medicine’s Animal Drug Residue Assignment.
“IDFA has a long tradition of working closely with CFSAN on dairy issues,” said Tipton. “We appreciated the time given to us by Center Director Landa and his senior team and are pleased to strengthen a partnership that is bringing safe and nutritious products to the marketplace.”
CFSAN is the branch of FDA that regulates food products, including all dairy products, as well as dietary supplements and cosmetics. As Center Director, Landa leads the center’s development and implementation of programs and policies related to the composition, safety, and labeling of foods, food and color additives and dietary supplements. As the former deputy director for regulatory affairs in CFSAN, Landa has worked with IDFA on food labeling, standards of identify and other issues that have affected the dairy industry.
Pictured above (L to R) are Dr. Bill Flynn, Center for Veterinary Medicine; John Sheehan, director, division of Plant and Dairy Food Safety, Office of Food Safety; Nega Beru, Ph.D, director of the Office of Food Safety; Felecia Billingslea, director, Food Labeling and Standards Staff, Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements; Mike Landa, director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; Connie Tipton, IDFA president and CEO; Clay Hough, IDFA senior group vice president; Clay Detlefsen, IDFA vice president for regulatory affairs, Jonathan Gardner, IDFA vice president for regulatory and international Standards; and Cary Frye, IDFA vice president, regulatory and scientific affairs.
Also attending the meeting was Joseph A. Levitt, a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Hogan Lovells US LLP and outside regulatory counsel to IDFA.