The U.S. Senate voted 56-44 to confirm Martin Makary, MD, MPH, to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on March 25.
According to reports, Makary, a former Johns Hopkins University surgeon and author, has been widely seen as a middle-of-the-road pick compared to Trump’s other choices to lead the Department of Health and Human Services’ subagencies. He was a vocal critic of federal COVID-19 mitigation policies, but said during his hearing that he supported the benefits of vaccines. He will report to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Pet Food Institute (PFI), whose members consist of U.S. dog and cat food and treat processors, congratulated Makary, on his confirmation as the new commissioner.
"FDA is an important partner to U.S. pet food makers, particularly as the agency continues surveillance and compliance efforts under the Food Safety Modernization Act,” said Dana Brooks, PFI’s president and CEO. “Food safety is the top priority for PFI members as they work to provide complete and balanced nutrition for the cats and dogs in 82 million U.S. households and pets around the world."
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) said it looks forward to working with Makary and the FDA staff to bring animal feed regulations into the 21st century.
“We look forward to working with Dr. Makary and the FDA staff on our continued partnership to provide safe and nutritious animal feed and pet food to our nation’s animals," said AFIA President and CEO Constance Cullman. "It’s also important to continue the effort to bring animal feed regulations into the 21st century as U.S. farmers and ranchers have limited access to the feed nutrition technologies to compete globally. Dozens of countries are safely using feed ingredients on farms, yielding measurable results in improved animal production and well-being, while we are stuck with antiquated regulatory systems leaving U.S. agriculture falling behind on the global stage. With Dr. Makary’s extensive career as a leading pancreatic surgeon, researcher and advocate, the AFIA believes Makary is positioned to focus on scientific and evidence-based approaches."
