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Food companies contend that the confusion about their labeling stems not from deception on their part but from the government's failure to issue clear guidelines for making nutritional and health claims. The FDA plans to set forth revised labeling rules next year. "Once these regulations are out," says John Cady, president of the National Food Processors Association, "industry will know clearly what the FDA expects and will certainly comply." Cady charges that Kessler's current "hunt-and-peck approach" of | targeting big companies is largely an effort to shine up the FDA's tarnished image.
The agency surely needs better public relations -- and much more. A report issued last week by an advisory panel to the Department of Health and Human Services concludes that the FDA is underfunded, understaffed and overwhelmed by its mandate, which ranges from approving drugs and monitoring the nation's blood supply to checking food imports and regulating the cosmetics industry. From 1979 to 1988, 23 laws were passed that broadened the FDA's responsibilities; at the same time, the agency lost 900 of its 8,100 employees.
That slide may finally be over. Congress has boosted the agency's budget by $150 million in the past two years, to $682 million for 1991, and the number of staff positions is up again to about 8,400. With that backing, Kessler hopes to strengthen the FDA in all areas. By picking on big food companies sensitive to publicity, he has made an astute start at establishing himself -- and re-establishing the FDA -- as the nation's top health cop.