“My fervent hope is that American consumers, especially mothers and fathers of infants, never again have to face this type of preventable situation,” wrote Yiannas. He called for an independent and thorough review of the crisis.
FDA spokeswoman Tara Rabin confirmed Yiannas’ resignation.
Yiannas’ notice comes less than a week before Califf is expected to release a response to a scathing report calling for an overhaul of the way the agency regulates human and animal foods. Currently, no single official has full oversight of the FDA’s sprawling food operations.
Yiannas called for the appointment of a “fully empowered and experienced” deputy commissioner for foods, with direct oversight of those issues. Advocacy groups and several former FDA officials have also called for such a position.
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