Farm groups applauded when Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue changed USDA’s organizational tree to create the post of undersecretary for trade. Now, Perdue is hearing complaints about his decision to give the undersecretary control over the Codex Alimentarius office — Latin for “Food Code” — that speaks for the United States in setting international food safety rules, says Politico.
“Current and former officials from both the Agriculture Department and the FDA have been raising the alarm internally and publicly about the plan … At stake, they say, is the country’s status as a global leader on food safety and quality,” reports Politico. The volume of objections has risen since Perdue announced a month ago the transfer of the Codex portfolio to the trade undersecretary from the undersecretary for food safety.
“Critics contend that the optics are especially bad because Trump has nominated Ted McKinney, a former director of global corporate affairs for Elanco, a major veterinary pharmaceutical company, to run the new trade mission at USDA,” Politico says. McKinney aside, skeptics say the change puts a trade official, rather than a food safety official, in charge when world rules are set on issues such as safe levels of chemical residues in food.
Among those opposing the move are Richard Raymond, who was undersecretary for food safety during the Bush years, and Michael Taylor, who was a food safety official at USDA and FDA during the Clinton and Obama administrations. Food industry leaders support the move and say it will not change U.S. commitment to rules based on science. When he announced the change, Perdue said it would result in more efficient USDA operations. “The U.S. Codex Office is an interagency partnership which engages stakeholders in the development of international governmental and non-governmental food standards,” said USDA at the time. “The focus of the Codex Office aligns better with” the trade undersecretary.