Ex-Monsanto VP hired as FDA adviser

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that Michael Taylor, a former Monsanto executive, has joined the agency as "senior advisor to the commissioner." Taylor's new position isn't his first in government. He's enjoyed a long career alternating between the food industry and the agencies that regulate it. (The FDA's press release highlights his government service while omitting his Monsanto history.) In her 2002 book Food Politics, the nutritionist and food-industry critic Marion Nestle wrote: "Taylor is a lawyer who began his revolving door adventures as counsel to FDA. He then moved to King & Spalding, a private-sector law firm representing Monsanto, a leading agricultural biotechnology company. In 1991 he returned to the FDA as Deputy Commissioner for Policy, where he was part of the team that issued the agency's decidedly industry-friendly policy on food biotechnology and that approved the use of Monsanto's genetically engineered growth hormone in dairy cows. His questionable role in these decisions led to an investigation by the federal General Accounting Office, which eventually exonerated him of all conflict-of-interest charges. In 1994, Mr. Taylor moved to USDA to become administrator of its Food Safety and Inspection Service ... After another stint in private legal practice with King & Spalding, Mr. Taylor again joined Monsanto as Vice President for Public Policy in 1998." Taylor's new job will be to advise Commissioner of Food and Drugs Margaret Hamburg. Hamburg said Taylor would work with her office and with the management of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Center for Veterinary Medicine, the Office of Regulatory Affairs, Congress and with members of the Obama Administration. His duties include sweeping responsibilities such as: * Assess current food program challenges and opportunities * Identify capacity needs and regulatory priorities * Develop plans for allocating fiscal year 2010 resources * Develop the FDA's budget request for fiscal year 2011 * Plan implementation of new food safety legislation "I am honored and grateful that Commissioner Hamburg has asked me to return to the FDA in the position of Senior Advisor to the Commissioner," Taylor said. "I am looking forward to working with her, Principal Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein, and all of the FDA's dedicated and talented people."