Again, what a difference a few days can make. Food safety was never a consideration during the Bush years but Obama is determined to focus on consumers and not just business.
More than 500 people have been sickened and at least eight may have died with authorities faulting Peanut Corp. of America. Officials said the company shipped products that initially tested positive for salmonella after retesting and getting a negative result.
The outbreak has led to a massive recall of products ranging from ice cream to cookies.
"I think that the FDA has not been able to catch some of these things as quickly as I expect them to catch," Obama said in an interview aired Monday on NBC's "Today" show. "And so we're going to be doing a complete review of FDA operations."
The president said Americans should be able to count on the government to keep children safe when they eat peanut butter and that includes his 7-year-old daughter Sasha.
"That's what Sasha eats for lunch probably three times a week. And you know, I don't want to have to worry about whether she's going to get sick as a consequence to having her lunch," Obama said.
The FDA has asked the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation into Virginia-based Peanut Corp. of America.
