Growers complained that the FDA's failure to identify the source of contaminated food quickly intensified public fears. That, in turn, decimated the market for products like leafy greens and tomatoes.
"The spinach industry has never recovered," said Tom Nassif, who heads the Western Growers Assn., a leading national trade group based in California.
Independent reviews by the Government Accountability Office and others found the agency lacked even basic information technology capabilities to analyze data and assess risks.
"We need some radical shifts," Dr. David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner for foods, said recently.
A year ago the FDA announced a plan for reforming itself, promising a major expansion of overseas inspections, better systems to identify where risks are highest, and more cooperation with state and local authorities as well as industry.
The agency opened an office in China this year and plans to open one each in India and Latin America in 2009.
But the promised changes have not come soon enough for critics, including many on Capitol Hill.
"There is little question that the FDA is dysfunctional," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who has pushed for a more sweeping overhaul of the agency. "The current structure is incapable of addressing food safety problems."
DeLauro thinks the FDA has given short shrift to its food inspection duties as it has focused on evaluating pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Those efforts consume the lion's share of the agency's budget.
She has pushed legislation to carve out an agency that would focus exclusively on food.
Durbin has called for an even bigger federal agency that would unify food oversight responsibilities that are currently scattered among the FDA, Agriculture Department and 13 other federal agencies.
Despite the evidence of problems and broad support for attacking them, few believe that is likely soon. "That is a heavy political lift," Durbin said.
If they can't rebuild the agency, critics say they will start by trying to rebuild its legal authority.
Durbin and a bipartisan group of senators have proposed authorizing the FDA to set binding national standards for the safe production of fruits and vegetables, something the agency says it cannot do now.
The lawmakers also want to empower the FDA to order recalls and to access industry records in the event of a recall.
