USDA's Highest Ranking Official Resigns
By Sam Lewis
Dr. Elizabeth Hagen steps down from FSIS to enter the private sector
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s undersecretary for food safety, Dr. Elizabeth Hagen, announced her resignation from the position on Friday, Nov 15. Her departure will come in mid-December, after what she is calling “an ambitious three years” of implementing new food safety policies and procedures for the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).
Prior to being sworn in as the federal government’s highest ranking food-safety official in August, 2010, Hagen held a number of roles with the USDA. Among them were leadership positions like the agency’s chief medical officer. She was also a senior exec with FSIS, playing a role in the development and execution of public health agendas. She was also an advocate of building relationships with food safety and public health official at federal, state, and local levels of government in her role with FSIS.
Her tenure has been praised by food-safety experts, consumer advocates, and even members of Congress. Hagen’s work with E. coli strains and labeling of mechanically tenderized beef products are held in highest regards. “She declared six additional strains of E. coli as adulterants, which was an important step to prevent illnesses from E. coli,” says Chris Waldrop, director of the Consumer Federation of America’s Food Policy Institute. “She updated Salmonella performance standards for poultry and put forward the first-ever standard for Campylobacter. And she proposed labeling of mechanically tenderized meat, which consumer groups had urged for a number of years.”
Agricultural secretary, Tom Vilsack, also praises Dr. Hagen, "Thanks to Elisabeth Hagen's hard work and sound leadership of the thousands of employees at the Food Safety and Inspection Service, America's food supply is safer today than ever before." Hagen’s exit from her position as undersecretary comes just prior to the New Year, when the food industry will face a barrage of new safety legislation, with many of the policies being developed by Hagen.
As 2014 rolls in and these new laws begin to take effect, a new leader will certainly be needed. U.S. House rep Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) is urging the agency to quickly fill the vacancy, hinting at the months President Obama spent appointing Hagen and Congress to confirm the choice. With so many new food-safety laws approaching in the near future, a permanent replacement for Hagen familiar with the new legislation will be the best leadership action the USDA and the federal government can take.
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