CSPI's Food Safety Director Moving to the FDA

Caroline Smith DeWaal Will Help Manage Import Safety at FDA after 21 Years at CSPI

June 11, 2015

Caroline Smith DeWaal, longtime director of food safety at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, is leaving the organization for a new position at the Food and Drug Administration. DeWaal will be international food safety policy manager at the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition where she will focus on developing systems for improving the safety of imported foods.

While at CSPI, DeWaal focused on reducing pathogens such as Salmonella and E. coli in the food supply, maintaining a comprehensive database of outbreaks of foodborne illness, and advocating for ending the use of medically important antibiotics in animal agriculture. Her greatest achievement was persevering for years in advocating for legislation that ultimately became the landmark FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. She also has presided over the International Association of Consumer Food Organizations.

“Caroline has provided extraordinary leadership as CSPI’s food safety director for more than two decades,” said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. “She’s provided expertise and guidance while participating in many national and international coalitions and conferences, and she has led the charge to advocate for significant improvements in food safety regulations, funding, and legislation that affects every American. I thank her for her hard work on, and unswerving dedication, to improving the safety of America’s food supply. I know she’ll continue to make significant contributions to a safer food supply in her new position.”