Lester Crawford was the most senior offical at the Food and Drug Administration, from February 2002 to his resignation in September 2005. His departure, to join the lobbying firm Policy Directions, Inc coincided with accusations that he'd been less than straight in his disclosures of interest, hiding the fact that he owned a great deal of stock in companies that he regulated. His recent guilty plea gives grounds to be concerned whether regulatory authorities really have the best interests of the public at heart.

This matters to food system-watchers. Take, for instance, the obesity crisis in the US. Debates around obesity pit corporate and peoples' welfare directly against one another. Corporations do quite well by selling food high in sugar, salt and fat. People do poorly by eating this food. Hence the tension. Against its mandate, the FDA tends to side with the producers, rather than consumers. And who was chair of the FDA's obesity committee? Lester Crawford. ... read more »

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Posted on 10 February, 2007 - 18:19