Food Safety Chief Reappointed
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Alfred V. Almanza's reappointment on May 6.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has reappointed Alfred V. Almanza as administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which is an important agency in ensuring the safety of the American food chain. FSIS oversees the regulation of meat, poultry, and processed egg products, and Almanza has been its administrator since July 2007.
On the same day, FSIS' Food Safety Discovery Zone truck arrived on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall. A food safety educational center on wheels, it travels the country stopping at state fairs, public events, supermarkets, and schools; after making several stops in the Washington area, it will travel to Memphis for the Variety Children's Barbeque Bash on June 4 and other stops nationwide through November.
FSIS has more than 9,500 employees. Almanza's appointment is subject to final approval from the Office of Personnel Management. "During his 30-plus years of service in FSIS, Al Almanza has worked tirelessly to fulfill the agency's critically important mission: keeping the public safe from foodborne illness," said Vilsack. "I know he will continue to do an outstanding job managing a large agency and helping USDA meet the food safety challenges of the 21st Century."
Almanza joined FSIS in 1978 as a food inspector in a small slaughter plant in Dalhart, Texas, and has since served as deputy district manager, labor management relations specialist, processing inspector, and district manager for the Dallas District, according to his USDA bio.