>> the consumer federation of america today's holding the second it of its food safety conference in washington. attendees are attending other breakout sessions. the speaking portion of this event will resume in about 25 minutes at 10:45 p.m. eastern. will hear from references of farmers and state officials and have all live here on c-span2. until then when the conference gets going again we'll hear from fda commissioner scott gottlieb who spoke to the group this morning.

>> thanks a lot and thanks for the opportunity to be a today and nice introduction. i'm grateful for the chance to build the talk to you all. wanted to talk about what we're going to be doing with respect to nutrition, trying to choose nutrition as as a tool to redue the morbidity and mortality associate with chronic disease going for it and try to lay out my think is going to be forward-looking agenda. a lot of our work today has been spent rightly so trying to implement a lot of the provisions in the loss we inherited i think we'll have a profound public health value looking beyond that i wanted to talk to did david about what ie as our agenda looking out over the next year or two. as we all know more than 630,000 americans every year die from heart disease. it's followed closely by cancer. the second leading cause of death in america with 600,000 americans die annually from cancer. while we have made progress in reducing deaths due to cancer and heart disease in part due to reduction in smoking, some of

the progress is now being offset by the increasing problems of obesity. we focus a lot of our policy and resources at fda in the velvet of innovative new treatments for these and other maladies, although medical innovation and access to life-saving treatment has the potential to remedy afflictions like cancer and heart disease but these maladies often result from a lifetime of accumulated risks and while investment in new treatments and efforts to ensure patients have affordable access to medical innovations must continue. we can't lose sight of the public health like better diet, more exercise and smoking prevention and cessation. for instance, one of the most effective ways to beat cancer prevention efforts of reduce the number of people are afflicted by in the first place and one of the best ways to achieve this goal is to reduce smoking rates, thereby evading the leading cause of preventable death and disease in this country.

fda has taken steps to shop reduce the use of cigarettes, the conference a plan we announced last july includes action to keep more people from getting hooked on tobacco in the first place. at the same time we are taking new steps to try to more rapidly transition of adults who can't quit tobacco altogether and still want to get access to satisfying levels of nicotine on two products that may pose far less risk to individuals compared to combusting tobacco. but like her efforts to reduce smoking rates, improvements in diet and nutrition offers one of the greatest opportunities to have a profound and impact on human health. fda has a critical role to play in making this happen. improving the nutrition, the diet of americans would be another transformative effort toward reducing the burden of many chronic diseases ranging from diabetes to cancer to heart disease.

the public health gains would almost certainly door for any single medical innovation -- innovation we could consume, discovered. 22.4% 2.4% of all male deaths, and 20.7% of all female deaths since 2015 were attributable to poor dietary factors, and the prevalence of obesity in adults decreasing 33.7% in 2007-2008 to 39.6% in 2015-2016 had an increase in children 16.8% to 18.5% over that same time. even a small advance in the nutrition of a single individual which might've only a limited effect in that persons life, the impact on a persons individual chronic risk for disease when aggregate over the population would have a massive impact across tens of nice people. i feel strongly that fda could do more to assist the american

public with trading healthier diets for themselves and their families. today chronic disease, diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in the u.s. and both chronic disease and weight related conditions-based healthcare costs and reduce productivity and the shortened lifespans. chronic diseases that were once rare in kid such as type two diabetes no longer are and they should worry us all. there are many contributing factors to these increases and while we can't solve them all we know improve nutrition can play an important role in addressing these and other public health problems. there's clearly a lot of room for improvement. we know the typical american eating habits are far from perfect, about three-fourths of the population has a diet that's low and vegetables, fruits, derek and healthier oils. foods are important to good health. at the same time most americans exceed the recommended intake of added sugars, saturated fats and

sodium. while 97% of american parents believe that child eating habits determine health for the lifetime 27% say the child's diet is healthful according to a national poll. that same survey found nearly half of all parents have difficulty determining which foods are actually healthy. as a parent of three young girls i share in the challenges of busy stressed families encounter daily in encouraging healthy eating. i know among the reasons for a poor diet are the challenges and accessing healthy foods and knowing which foods to offer and which ones to offer more health benefits. but we have a real opportunity to reduce the burden of chronic disease through better nutrition that this is something we can only tackle by working together and by making better choices easier. all of us here today have an important role to play. fda he regulates 80% of the country's food supply and we

take this important role in our nation self very seriously. that's why today i'm announcing a comprehensive multiunit attrition innovation strategy intended to benefit fda's role. this built on a 22 strategic policy roadmap that i release earlier in january. our new strategy takes a fresh look at what we can do to reduce reasonable death and disease of related to poor nutrition. people use our tools and authority to create better ways of mitigating nutrition information to consumers so they can be empowered to make good choices and will advance new ways to make science-based science-bast provide more incentives for food manufacturers to produce products more healthful attributes. we know the steps alone cannot fully alleviate the obesity epidemic in this country but combined with other efforts these actions can create a path forward for a healthier future. it's not all doom and gloom.

there are favorable trends when it comes to diet, nutrition they give us many new opportunities. consumers are more interested than ever before to learn about the food they eat, expectations are high and consumers of the many more healthful options and want to know what's in the foods that they consume. i see these trends as unique chance to empower individuals who are using nutrition to improve their health and the health of their families. at the same time we see a market that is responded to new consumer expectations, new products are appearing on supermarket shelves every day and this is a direct result of consumer demand. for instance, consumers are seeking out foods that may be mentally process, lower in sugar and produce with wholesome ingredients. at the same time we are seeing widespread consumer interest in foods that were once considered specialty items. we see going a bit ability of such products on store shelves, and small shifts in consumer

habits can have significant impact on public health. clear science-based information is essential pillar to the work we do at fda, and it's also a driving factor in better consumer choices. in 2016 survey of more than 1500 consumers virtually all responded that it's important that brands manufacturers a buy from our transparent about what's in the food and how it is made. the survey found consumers value healthful ingredients four times as much as brand recognition. the food industry is elevated, indicating to get people more of what they want. manufacturers are reformulating product to boost fiber content, limit attitudes and prove the amount of so yeah in sugar. sometimes innovation -- sodium -- make workers convened conves grabbing go, prepackaged sound accommodations, yogurt package with fruit and nuts or protein

tricks. sometimes it's preserving taste while reducing ingredients consumers want to avoid. take salt, for example. food scientist make salt crystals take saltier with some food applications by simply changing their shape to increase the surface area a lot less sodium to be used. or take sugar. simply shifting some sugar to the outside of the serial rather than uniformly distributed throughout candle in the amount of sugar without changing the taste. some manufacturers use flavor boosters like vanilla or cinnamon and other ingredients to enhance the sweetness of the product. consumer demands of also spurred companies to change labeled to match these trends. labels being to cope with information about what's in the food and now healthful it is, where it came from and how is chrome or prepared. these opportunities are not absolute and just a show like universally realized. see people are not taking equal advantage of these trends or

more likely don't have the same opportunities to access them. while diet related health concerns in fact, the majority of the american public, it's important to also recognize that disparity in diet nutrition are exacerbating disparities in health and contribute to growing gaps in our society including those related to longevity. these gaps breakdown along socioeconomic lines and the promising opportunities that we see in some quarters of our food marketplace are not evenly distributed across our society. not every neighborhood has a basic supermarket. identify and encouraging food patterns that are consistent with the dietary guidelines that are affordable and appealing is also a priority to fight social inequities in health. this can be a prejudicial cycle. we know education levels in addition to income or access to healthy food can play a

prominent role in dietary habits. and we know that for dietary quality is more common in people from lower socioeconomic status. childhood obesity can lead to negative health outcomes later in life but it may also have more immediate impacts like an increased risk of type two diabetes, increase school absences and less effective school engagement or stigmatization and bullying. the persistence and even growth and health disparity mimic trends in nutritional disparities. from 1999-2010, researchers have observed a study of proven and average quality in american died as more people reduced intakes of trends that have reduce consumption of sugar, sweetened beverages, fruit juices while increasing consumption of whole fruits and whole grains and polyunsaturated fats and nuts. during this same time family income and educational level were positively associate with

healthy eating, and the gap in healthy eating wide overtime. so those with limited education and economic opportunity also more likely to suffer poor nutrition. this in turn exacerbates the chronic disease and the burden of chronic illness with all of its associated costs and hardships can exacerbate poverty or make it harder to work or make a person more likely to become disabled. these are complex problems but the complexity isn't an excuse to letting them persist. we can focus our efforts in making it easier for parents and children to have access to nutritious affordable foods. food access and improving understanding of good nutrition and its implications for health artiste to remedying these disparities in nutrition and health. there shouldn't be one set of food opportunities for the affluent and another for low income and working-class

families. the genius of american innovation in the market can help solve these problems. american agriculture what of the 20th century modern miracles and america is the bread basket to the world. our challenge is to help create more healthful and healthy choices and foster innovation and competition that can also make these choices more affordable. we need to work on ways to decouple chronic disease from socioeconomic status, and nutrition gives us one opportunity to do that. without reliable access to healthy foods people can't make positive changes to their diets. they can't pass on healthy behaviors to their children, and if certain eating. reduce chronic disease and some will have disparities in critical health outcomes unless we increase access to healthy food. it all doesn't start with a poor nutrition, and it certainly doesn't end there. but nutritional opportunities and the resulting health impact

can be a big factor in dismantling other societal divides across generations, and so we all need to be doing more. while we need remember even as we take steps to expand opportunities for better food products and offer people more opportunities to improve health, we must focus on making sure these opportunities are equally available across our society and remember these public health efforts will serve many goals, that good nutrition is a fundamental opportunity. my purpose for nutrition innovation strategy that i'm announcing today is to take account of these challenges and these potential opportunities. i believe fda can make further improvements in public health by empowering consumers with information and facilitating industry innovation towards healthier foods that consumers want. and in the process i think we can help address broader societal challenges. if we want to see real change that are untapped opportunities

we need to pursue. we need to take a hard look at our entire portfolio to evaluate where we need to be most impactful. to begin with we are opening a public docket and holding a public meeting this summer would begin advance proposes to modernize our approach to better protect public health while removing barriers to innovation, to start a a dialogue i like to spend a few minutes outlying -- outlining some of the ideas with the leadership of the center for food safety and applied nutrition, or cfsan. these efforts include work to modernize labels, label claims, and could get labels of identity also taking forward our ongoing efforts to influence the nutrition facts label in the manual labor link initiatives and to reduce sodium. these are some of the new steps we're going to be taking. consumers have long been interested in finding easy ways to identify healthful foods by looking at the label when shopping for groceries pick science-based science-based claims cannot

people do that. that's why we're looking at modernizing how we look at claims. claims are quick signals on food packages for consumers about what benefits of the food and beverage they choose might have. claims can also encourage the food industry to introduce new products or reformulate existing ones to improve their health equalities. food makers are going to focus their innovation on attributes that they can advertise. if a manufacturer can't make claims about a healthful attribute of the food, then we'll see fewer products with these benefits. we will see manufacturers focus more of their investment and innovation of things they can talk about like taste and value here they will be far less if this is a up with the features that can approve peoples nutrition and health. i believe there is more room for competition in the marketplace when it comes to be healthful this of different foods people eat and we are pursuing ways to

incentivize that sort of competition. health claims are one such tool. fda must modernize our approach in this area also playing an important role in ensuring that this tool is effectively deployed. these claims can show that it food component may reduce the risk of health-related condition such as the relationship between the reduction of the risk of a child being born with certain birth defects. qualified health claims are another example. these are claims are supported by some scientific evidence but don't meet the significant scientific agreement standards. for example, the relationship between consuming certain oils and the reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease. a food package might also have nutrient content claim like good source of calcium per serving. it's in everyone's interest to have meaningful claims that consumers can understand and trust tickets also important that fda does not permit claims

that could mislead people to consumer products that are not healthful to their health. that's why we're asking what we can do to encourage meaningful claims that reflect the latest nutrition of science and can spur industry to introduce products that qualify for those claims. healthy is one such claim we believe is right for change. the agency is already signaled its intention to update the criteria for this claim and we've held public meetings and reviewed public comments on this issue. having a one-word claim such as healthy based on current signs would make it easier for busy consumers, , including me, to me choices that can help build more healthful diets. traditionally we have focused on the nutrients contained in food in considering what is healthy but people eat foods, not nutrients. that's why we're asking the important question of whether a modernize definition of healthy should go beyond nutrients to better reflect dietary patterns and food groups like whole

grains, low-fat dairy, , fruits and vegetables, or healthy oils. rodney the concept of what it means to be healthy may also better mean consumer decisions. take a recent international food information council survey which found nearly 60% of consumers defined healthy eating style as getting the right mix of different food groups. as we broaden our message we can't undermine the important nutrients and a help message. availability of information about nutrients, both those that we need to limit such as added sugars and sodium, those that consumers are not getting enough of like potassium remain a core aspect of our role and our nutrition strategy. we know that today people are reading too much food but in too many cases they are still not consuming enough of certain nutrients to achieve a balanced diet. we are keeping all of these considerations in mind as we

pursue rulemaking to update the definition of healthy so it is based on nutrition criteria and food considerations that are more up-to-date than those being used in the current definition. we also need to do more to help consumers see this information. we will also consider how to depict healthy on the package so that consumers can easily identify it, particularly when they may not have time or the skills to examine all the information on a food package. to address this we've had discussions about whether they should be a standard icon or symbol for the word healthy that everyone could use on food packages and will be soliciting input on whether this will be useful. we also plan to seek input on other possible changes to it nutrient content claim to know the types of claims that could facilitate innovation and promote more healthful eating patterns. we want to understand which claimed to be the most useful to consumers to help them make good choices and which would help and not hinder industry efforts to reformulate the healthier options.

in keeping with the enhanced focus on dietary patterns and food groups rather than only a single nutrients, we are interested in exploring claims for products that offer food groups for which american diets typically fall short of the current recommendations here for example, whole grains, low-fat dairy, roots and vegetables and healthy oils. ultimately, we want to strengthen claims in a way that signals that a product containing meaningful amount of these different food groups. as another action most streamlined our process for getting qualified health claims we received from the industry. we have another of these in the queue right now and they take a significant amount of time for us to review. we need to consider how to enhance the efficiency of this review process. for instance, we want to triage those requests according to public health significance and to prioritize the review of those that are most meaningful and most science-based.

one such example of how such claims can make a difference is manufacturers manufactured for the use qualified health claims linking early in its introduction in certain infants to a reduced risk of developing peanut allergy. our intention is to prioritize those qualified health claims that are most likely to have a health benefit and that databan the strongest science. we think this would encourage industries to cement their strongest most significant claims for review and to discourage submissions of claims that have little value. this way we can focus our resources on more quickly advancing the claims with the most public health relevance. another claim where frequent asked about is natural. in late 2015 we sought feedback from consumers and industry and what fda should define and protect the work natural on food labeling. more than 7600 comments came comments came in and we review them. it's clear consumers increasingly want to know what is in the food they eat and whether it is natural.

we recognize that consumers are trusting in products label as natural without clarity around them. just like other claims made on products regularly by fda, we believe natural is the claim that must be true and science-based. at the same time we know there are wide differences in beliefs regarding what criteria should be applied for products that are termed natural, and some of those criteria are not based on public health concerns. we plan to have much more to say on this issue very soon. a second prong of our plan is to evaluate ingredient information on food packages. consumers want clean labels that are readable and understandable. manufacturers are taking this consumer preference seriously and fda has role to play as well. we're considering what changes could make ingredient information more consumer friendly. in addition to readability this includes considering whether simpler alternative names for certain ingredients could be

used so they are more understandable. for example, we could consider whether the use of the name vitamin b6 for -- and vitamin b12 for -- might help people but understand what's in their food. as always public health implications will be included as we consider whether simpler names were ingredients could be used to one such proposed change in front of us right now. we have been petition to allow the use of the alternative names for potassium chloride to make clear that this product is sold and we are actively considering this request. the petitioner argued that some consumer associate the term chloride with chlorine leak and consequently avoid foods that have potassium chloride in the ingredient list. the petitioner urged fda to consider donating might encourage industry to replace some of the potassium, some sodium chloride with potassium chloride which could provide public health benefits. in addition to the labeling work

on modernizing claims and agree to live and we need to finish our work on manual labeling kit we issued a draft guidance document that provides flexibility on how requirements can be insulated ticket shows restaurants and cover establishments, how to five-calorie information on menus in ways that meets various business models. and will soon be finalized in that guidance. and beginning on may 72018 consumers can walk into these cover establishments, across the country and know at a glance how many calories in the foods that board for themselves and for their children. we are taking final steps on the new nutrition facts label, the first of all of the label in 20 years. consumers starting to access and update event that based on current science and provide, provides more information to empower them to choose healthful diets. we issued final regulations in may 2016 and we propose extending the compliance to

january 21, 2020. 20. our work on food is unique challenge for the agency because we are creating a set of rules that have broader range of stakeholders in any other area we regulate. our rules must consider the various components and challenges facing all elements of a very diverse industry. i understand that this is sometimes, this is underway to remain cognizant of and it's what our public engagement meets in this area so robust. i also know that's crucial we provide clear expectations so that industry can meet them. it's a priority to make sure that were committed with stakeholders to ensure that the standards they need to meet and providing kinds on how to meet them can be effectively utilized. to those in resort issued a number of technical documents on issues such as fiber and serving sizes to a manufacturers meet the requirements of the nutrition facts rule. i also recognize that it support for consumers to be able to effectively use the changes we

make to food labels and that we take new steps to make sure this information reaches consumers across the socioeconomic spectrum. a few weeks ago we announced the launching major educational campaign for consumers surrounding the new nutrition information that consumers will be seeing in the marketplace very soon. this will allow us to reach consumers directly for educational videos, social media campaigns and user-friendly websites to help them discern the relationship between dietary choices they make every day and impact on their own and their families health. the campaign will focus on the areas where we recognize that there are gaps and in consumer understanding and use of nutrition information. for example, we know there seems to be a wide variation of peoples knowledge of how many calories are needed in a day. so we would be providing educational resources that help people put information of the context when they see it. in addition we've heard that

consumers want actionable tips to make healthier choices so we plan to provide information such as simple swaps like swapping out limited for lower calorie seltzer with limit. where possible we will target our education efforts toward certain subgroups that are at greater risk for nutritional related disease. we recognize that patterns in this effort part and partners will be the key to our success. especially interest in working with groups that serve populations at greatest risk for nutritional related chronic disease. another area where we believe fda can facilitate innovation while by protecting public health is repetitive food standards of identity. standards of identity are mandatory requirements as many of you know related to the content and production of certain food products. for example, bread, jam, juices and chocolate all have standard of identity associated with them. it's like a recipe for what has

to be in the food, or not in a food for a company to use a certain product name. the first stint of it anywhere published in 1939, some provided for enriched food supplement the number of nutritional deficiencies and diseases. others were designed to protect against consumer fraud. they continue to serve an important purpose letting consumers know what they are buying meat circumstance entrance of what's in it. it's important we take a fresh look at existing standards of a dirty in light of marketing trends and latest nutritional science. for example, the standards of identity for certain cheeses don't always permit the use of salt substitutes which could be used to lower the sodium content of cheese. we've been asked to modernize standards of identity for yogurt to support many innovations occurring in this food category. we will look to eliminate standards of a debate that may not be necessary. our priority again is public health and flexibility is key.

we want to maintain the basic nature and nutritional integrity of products while allowing industry flexibility for innovation. and protection against economic fraud is still a critical touchstone for us. we also need, we see a need for flexibility and standards to allow that a public health outcomes by encouraging manufacturers to reduce more healthful foods that are still affordable. in addition to status of identity, these are rules for naming and describing certain products excellent as the syndication a request for information to help guide us as we develop new approaches in these areas. finally, i can't discuss and meaningful nutrition initiative without exploring what we can do to encourage the reduction in sodium and foods. there remains no single more effective public health action related to nutrition than the reduction of sodium in diet. i -- a a result in hypertension

which increases the risk of strokes and heart attacks. researchers have estimated reducing sodium intake by one half teaspoon a day could prevent it a 100,000 premature deaths a year and a bit 220,000 cases of coronary heart disease, 66,000 strokes, and 99,000 heart attacks here and certain segments of our population such as african-americans are at greater risk for hypertension and develop it at earlier ages. i am committed to advancing the short-term voluntary sodium target to provide guidance to industry, fda's proposed short-term voluntary draft targets for sodium reduction in food the support reducing sodium intake to 3000 billy graham's per day from the current average intake of over 3400 billy graham's. we intend to online our approach with the dietary reference intake that's been conducted by the national academies. i believe we can build broad support for our approach.

fda is going to working through more than 150 public comments that include important tactical information that will enable us to improve on the targets that make them more practical and more meaningful. we plan to release an updated short-term target in 2019 as well as continuing the dialogue on longer-term sodium reduction efforts. like our efforts to reduce tobacco use are working nutrition can do much to reduce the burden of chronic disease and early death we see as was real of avoidable illness in this country. it can also help us break the cycle of poor health, poor educational attainment, and complications from chronic disease that exacerbate burdens and illness and society along socioeconomic lines. the burden of poor health while its head is on the sedona access to all the tools of proper nutrition and health care resources, it falls on families who are less hapless distal

income because i spend a greater share of income on necessities like housing. it falls on families who may consume higher qualities of low calories which are also low in nutrition because people can't afford or have reduced access to healthier options. we need to focus our efforts into whether could help reduce disparities we increasingly see across society and help focus the innovation and market competition we see in many sectors of the food industry on families and children who can most benefit from it. i'm committed to advancing our work in nutrition as one to help reduce health disparities and approve the lives of all americans and help every family live more free from the burdens of preventable illness. we will need your help to advance these efforts. we need you to wait in, bring your best ideas to the table, help inform our process and we look forward to partnership with you as we dance this nutrition innovation strategy and our share of public health partners.

thanks a lot. [applause] >> thank you, dr. gottlieb. we're going to do q&a for about ten minutes. i'm going to cover the side of the room and my colleague will cover the outside. raise your hand if you have questions. >> thank you, commissioner. that was really very inspiring and encouraging hear all the ft has plans. i'm with the center for science in the public interest. i was wondering if you could clarify a bit about the short-term sodium reductions. since those of the online with the 3000 billy graham's sodium intake and really the question before us is should you go lower than 2300 billy graham's? will you be able to go forward with the short-term sodium

targets right away and then wait for the dri for the longer-term sodium reduction, or what is the timeline for the short-term sodium reduction? >> this is related in ongoing litigation, right? [laughing] i'm kidding. it was a joke. i'm sorry. poor joke. [laughing] >> we have been known to sue the agency from time to time. >> i don't object by the group would do it, i will just keep getting sued. we stated already what our intent is with respect to the 3400 target of the 3000 target. i think what we're looking to do is wait and see how we align come how to properly align our targets with the information that comes out of that process. i don't want to commit today that we are going to fully aligned with the process. think we need to see what comes out of it and how it informs our work. what i am saying today is that

we're committed to taking hard look at how both infinite what we've committed to continue but what we've committed to and take a look at how we break for the reductions in sodium, consistent with where the trend is heading and everything that dri is likely to head which is further recommendation for further reductions. whether we fully align with our process, whether we incorporate into to some sites based assessment that we do on her own with respect to whether target should end up i think that's going to be part of the process. i think important messages we are committed to continue to move that process forward and continue take further steps to try to reduce that target amount. >> good morning, scott. center for food safety and applied nutrition. we are on the same team. i'm just not on the same scale as you are. [laughing] >> thank you for sharing a

positive message this morning, in particular the significant achievement coming out of the center for food safety and applied nutrition. susan, my boss come is over there so i wanted to be sure and get that out. we attended, well, actually in your presentation you mentioned some really keywords like the word natural, healthy and i could probably add others to it. yesterday we attended a really fun session on the clean label, moderated by tony flood. if you were asked to define a clean label and you probably will be at some point in your career, what would you say what a clean label is? >> well, i don't want to get too far ahead of the process to try to define where we should, from a regular standpoint. from my standpoint what i want to see and a broader policy goal, and we've made a substantial update to the label now and these are not things we can do every two years, these are things that happen i think

after much consideration and a certain timeframe because there's a cost involved in relabeling products and a lot of scientific work that goes into come coming up with what is the optimal label. what we want to do is find vehicles to allow voluntary ways for sponsors to put information on labels in ways that some of the attributes that we think are useful for sponsors, for consumers to be able to make decisions, put them on a way that it's more prominent and prompt the more quickly allows them to identify important information more quickly. ..

the we've gotten there with a lot of changes. currently with the new introduction -- nutrition facts label, especially certain attributes and that's why talk about one such opportunity. if there are other ideas we will open a public docket. their ideas are places and ways we can create some more easily identical information on the label in icons and other kinds of information that allows consumers to make quicker decisions and more quickly identify the important features of food with a voluntary framework that food manufacturing can take advantage of. that is something we are very interested in doing. >> thank you very much for your comment today. brian todd from the world new jersey -- so we have been in

comment. the food safety modernization act come a lot of members in the food industry dealing with those regulations right now from around feelings, are an understanding as companies are kind of dragging their feet right now, we just want to see if you have any comments about what fda is planning, if there's any future changes planned better or how you see the rollout. >> quote, it was a fundamental rethinking of food safety in this country. you know, through a system of preventative control by changing the whole nature of the federal government's relationship to inspection. i mean, this is really a fundamental change in food safety and fda's role of food safety in the country. i was at fda during this time we saw the e. coli outbreak

spinach, which was a catastrophic event. in multiple outbreaks of foodborne illness and produce. i think it became clear across a broad spectrum that we needed to take a wholesale rethinking of that. like any very large undertaking, very large statute and rule making process, i think there's been certain aspects of the implementation that have been smoother and certain aspects of the implementation where we take more time to give consideration to industry to try and achieve the public health purpose in an efficient way and try to make sure we got it right. you've seen us to lay certain aspects of the role, while others were implemented very efficiently. i think we are now left with a residual set of issues with respect to implementation that are the hardest issues. we would assault them up