By: Danielle Ulman

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } Dr. Joshua Sharfstein is already hard at work at his new job. On March 30, Sharfstein’s first day as acting commissioner of the FDA, the government issued a warning: Avoid eating pistachios and foods containing the nuts, which may have been tainted with salmonella.What’s significant here is that the FDA moved so swiftly. On March 24, Kraft Foods Inc. found salmonella in some pistachios during a routine product test,and just a few days later the government acted, instead of fumbling in the dark like it did during the Mexican jalapeno pepper mess.

According to an AP story, the moves could signal a shift in how the FDA handles food safety.

“What’s different here is that we are being very proactive and are putting out a broad message with the goal of trying to minimize the likelihood of consumer exposure,” said Dr. David Acheson, FDA’s assistant commissioner for food safety. “The only logical advice to consumers is to say ‘OK consumers, put pistachios on hold while we work this out. We don’t want you exposed, we don’t want you getting salmonella.’”

Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the president’s new acting commissioner who started Monday, made it clear staff needed to move quickly, Acheson said.

Sharfstein, who was plucked by President Barack Obama from his post as Baltimore City health commissioner to serve as the FDA’s deputy commissioner, is acting as FDA chief until the Senate confirms the nomination of Dr. Margaret Hamburg.

Putting Sharfstein at the helm of the FDA allows the government to have its pick leading the troubled agency.

/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}