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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
Media Inquiries: 301-436-2335 |
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA's) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) has announced the appointment of Laura Tarantino, Ph.D., as the Director of CFSAN's Office of Food Additive Safety (OFAS).
As the OFAS Director, Dr. Tarantino will provide leadership for FDA's food additive safety program and will oversee all aspects of the Center's petition review processes for food and color additives, consultation/notification processes for generally recognized as safe (GRAS) substances, food contact substances, and foods and food ingredients derived from recombinant DNA biotechnology.
“Laura has served the agency well over the years as a consumer safety officer and the Deputy Director in OFAS. Her strong scientific background will help FDA meet its commitment to making sure that food additives are safe," said Dr. Lester M. Crawford, Acting FDA Commissioner. “With her scientific and institutional knowledge Laura is ideally suited to make our food additive safety program even stronger.”
“Laura has had a career-long commitment to improving America’s health and strengthening the mission of the FDA,” said Dr. Robert E. Brackett, Director of CFSAN. “She has demonstrated her ability as a strong leader.”
Prior to her appointment, Dr. Tarantino served as acting director of CFSAN’s Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements for five months. Before that she served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Food Additive Safety for seven years.
Before coming to FDA, she was on the faculty at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va.
Dr. Tarantino received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Cornell University.
She assumed her new position June 13, 2004. She replaces Dr. Alan Rulis, who now serves as CFSAN’s Senior Advisor for Special Projects.
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