President Obama announced Saturday Dr Margaret Hamburg, New York City’s former health commissioner, as his choice for Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore’s current health commissioner was named Deputy Commissioner Saturday.
In a statement, Michael Jacobson, Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest said that Hamburg “has been forward thinking in her approach both to medical and food security issues- a quality that should enable her to return the FDA to its role as a trusted, effective regulatory agency…While most past commissioners have focused primarily on the drug side of FDA, Drs. Hamburg and Sharfstein both are well aware the FDA also regulates foods. They will have additional resources and, I hope, new statutory authorities to improve on FDA’s dismal record in the area of food safety and nutrition.”
