The confirmation of Dr. Elisabeth Hagen as the Undersecretary for Food Safety at the USDA is a step closer following approval by the Senate Agricultural Committee.
The USDA has been without a senior administrator responsible for food safety since Dr. Richard Raymond retired from the position in September 2008 in the declining months of the previous administration. Dr. Hagen is a physician and has extensive experience as an administrator in the FSIS and as Chief Medical Officer with USDA.
In her confirmation hearings she stated: “If confirmed, I look forward to using this experience to build strong, science-based, public health policy.”