1. Pink Sheet

US FDA Commissioner Califf’s Farewell Visit To Capitol Hill

 
• By Michael McCaughan

Robert Califf’s final appearance on Capitol Hill as US FDA commissioner, a 5 December Senate hearing focused on the agency’s food and nutrition functions, was an appropriate coda to his tenure and preview of things to come under the Trump Administration.

Califf and baby formula
The infant formula shortage food safety a larger part of Commissioner Robert Califf's focus after he took over the agency in 2022. • Source: Nielsen Hobbs; the Pink Sheet | Alamy and Shutterstock images
Key Takeaways
  • Robert Califf’s final Capitol Hill appearance focused on food and nutrition, an issue that dominated much of his most recent tenure leading the FDA.
  • The discussion about food industry greed driving chronic illness could signal areas for agreement between Democrats and HHS Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
  • The conundrum that the FDA allows people to gain weight through poor diet and also approves expensive weight loss treatments likely will remain a theme during the Trump Administration.

A 5 December Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing was an appropriate send off for outgoing US Food and

The hearing focused on the FDA’s food and nutrition operations, including the link between packaged foods and public health

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