The Presidential inauguration is taking place this weekend. Thousands of people are going to be in Washington D.C. for the celebration. For nationally significant events, the FDA has assembled staff to work with the U.S. Secret Service, the D.C. Department of Health, Maryland and Virginia health departments, the the FDA Baltimore District Office to make sure food served at these events is safe to eat.
Public health officials are working to protect food from contamination, review menus, observe food preparation, storage, and service, and training kitchen staff about risk factors. Traceback and supply chains will be closely recorded to make sure if an outbreak happens, they’ll be able to trace all foods back to the source. During the last inauguration, inspectors covered more than 100,000 meals.
Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said, “just as the Secret Service is responsible for overall security at the inaugural events, FDA is responsible for managing food safety and security in the retail food venues. As the Food Safety Modernization Act makes clear, our focus will be on preventing food safety problems before they happen.”
