FDA selects Acheson to be new "food safety czar".(FDA)

FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach last week appointed David Acheson to the newly created position of Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection--a "food safety czar," so to speak.

Acheson currently serves as chief medical officer and director of CFSAN's Office of Food Defense, Communication and Emergency Response.

"In his new role, Dr. Acheson will work with individual FDA product centers, as well as the Office of Regulatory Affairs to coordinate FDA's food safety and defense assignments and commitments," FDA said in a release. "In addition, Dr. Acheson will serve as the commissioner's direct liaison to the Department of Health and Human Services, of which FDA is a part, and to other U.S. departments and agencies on food safety and defense related inter-agency initiatives."

One of Acheson's first projects, the agency added, will be to develop an "agency-wide, visionary strategy for food safety and defense. The strategy will identify and characterize changes in the global food safety and defense system, and identify current and future challenges and opportunities. It will also name potential barriers, gaps and most critical needs in a food safety and defense system. The strategy will serve as the framework in helping the agency prioritize and address food safety and defense challenges."

News of Acheson's appointment prompted a pinch of praise and a pound of wariness from agency stakeholders, some of whom praised the announcement of a higher profile for food safety issues, while others wondered if the change would be anything more than cosmetic.