Washington, March 30 - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Friday he wants the White House's new food safety panel to consider giving his department stronger food recall powers to help minimize future disease outbreaks.
Vilsack said the panel needs to discuss whether the current recall authority was appropriate.
"But I do think there has to be at least a discussion about whether or not the authorities that we currently have are appropriate," Vilsack told Reuters in an interview. "And if they aren't, what changes would we make or propose."
President Barack Obama announced the panel this month to improve food safety. He assigned Vilsack to head the group along with the Health and Human Services secretary -- his nominee for that post is former Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius.
The United States has seen a string of deadly food poisoning incidents, including an ongoing outbreak of salmonella in peanut products, that forced the largest food recall in U.S. history.
Vilsack said the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration needed a better system of communication and collaboration.
"I think we need to have a single philosophy governing our approach to food safety. Secondly, I do think it's important to have a better system of communicating."
He said with some 15 different agencies looking after food safety, the country needs a better structure. Some groups have been calling for a single agency to handle the issue, but Vilsack didn't think that would happen very quickly.
"It could potentially evolve to that but I think we are a ways from that," Vilsack said.
SAFETY ABROAD
Vilsack said USDA will also address concerns about food safety in other nations.
Rep Rosa DeLauro blasted China's food safety standards earlier in the month, citing incidents of mislabeled food and products tainted with the industrial chemical melamine.
Other lawmakers share her concerns. The U.S. Congress renewed a ban on poultry imports from China in the fiscal 2009 appropriations bill.
"The concerns that many members of Congress have emanate from their desire to make sure Americans have safe and sufficient and nutritious food," Vilsack said.
Vilsack said his department would provide lawmakers with the information they need to make a decision on whether China -- or other nations -- are complying with appropriate food safety guidelines.
If not, he will work with legislators to determine what steps need to be taken to resolve trade issues.