On May 6, 2010 the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that Alfred V. Almanza will continue as Administrator of the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) where he will continue to oversee the processing of meat, poultry, and egg products. Almanza had been serving as the FSIS Administrator since July, 2007 as a "limited term" appointment. According to the USDA news release, before Almanza can take over as the administrator, the Office of Personnel Management must give final approval to his appointment.
Secretary Vilsack made the following statement in the news release, "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 . . . 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."
As Vilsack stated, Mr. Almanza brings thirty years of experience working for FSIS to make sure the agency meets its mission of "protecting public health through food safety." Almanza started with FSIS in 1978, when he worked as a food inspector.
To read the USDA news release, click here.
Posted: 05/10/10
