Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 9/22/15


The Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria is preparing for its first public meeting next week, six months after the panel was established by three federal government agencies, including UDSA.

The U.S. Dept., of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Dept. of Defense (DoD) joined USDA officials in March to announce the formation of the council. Its goal is to develop a national action plan to fight the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the U.S. food supply, including proteins. Such efforts are expected to include preservation of the effectiveness of antibiotics, improved surveillance on how antibiotic-resistant pathogens survive in the food supply and expand current research programs.

The inaugural public meeting is scheduled for Sept. 29 in Washington, D.C.

Members of the advisory council include representatives from the National Pork Producers Council, the Animal Health Institute and various academic researchers from national institutions. The initiative followed President Obama’s signing of an executive order late last year establishing a task force to study options for combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria in human health care and animal agriculture.

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