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US Government Accountability
Office (GOA)
November 6, 2008 Identified by GAO as an "Urgent Issue" for the
Next President and Congress - Among GAO recommendations are for the
President to " ... consider alternative structures for oversight of
food safety to facilitate interagency coordination ... [for the Congress
to] commission ... a detailed analysis of alternative organizational food
safety structures ... [and for Congress to] enact comprehensive, uniform,
and risk-based food safety legislation ..." - The other twelve
"Urgent Issues" are " ... Caring for Service Members,
Defense Readiness, Defense Spending, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan,
Oversight of Financial Institutions and Markets, ... Large-Scale Health
Emergencies, Protecting the Homeland, Public Diplomacy and International
Broadcasting, ... [Space Shuttle], Surface Transportation, The 2010 Census,
[and] ... Digital TV ..."
Document Title: The title of the November 6, 2008 GAO News Release is
"GAO Lists Top "Urgent Issues" for next President and
Congress; unveils new transition web site"
Organization: US Government Accountability Office
Summary: The following information is taken from the "Revamping
Oversight of Food Safety" section of the GAO "Urgent Issues"
website
http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/urgent/food-safety.php
Revamping Oversight of Food Safety
While this nation enjoys a plentiful and varied food supply that is
generally considered to be safe, the fragmented nature of the federal food
oversight system undermines the government’s ability to
* plan more strategically to inspect food production processes,
* identify and react more quickly to outbreaks of food-borne illnesses, and
focus on promoting the safety and integrity of the nation’s food supply.
Fifteen federal agencies collectively administer at least 30 laws related
to food safety. The two primary agencies are the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA), which is responsible for meat, poultry, and processed
egg products, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is
responsible for virtually all other foods. GAO has reported that this
fragmented systems has caused
* inconsistent oversight,
* ineffective coordination, and
* inefficient use of resources.
For example, federal expenditures on food safety are not based on the
volume of foods regulated by the agencies or consumed by the public. USDA
programs accounted for the majority of federal expenditures for food safety
inspection; however, USDA is responsible for regulating only about 20
percent of the food supply. FDA, which is responsible for regulating about
80 percent of the food supply, accounted for only about 24 percent of
expenditures.
FDA has reported that limited resources and authorities challenge its
efforts to carry out its food safety responsibilities. For example, FDA’s
oversight and enforcement efforts have not kept pace with the growing
number of food firms. As a result, FDA has little assurance that companies
comply with food-labeling laws and regulations. In addition, while FDA has
considered fresh produce safety a priority for many years, resource
constraints and other work—including counterterrorism efforts and unplanned
events such as food-borne-illness outbreaks—have caused FDA to delay key
produce safety activities as well as provide limited oversight of domestic and
imported fresh produce.
* Highlights of GAO-08-597 (PDF)
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08597high.pdf
* Highlights of GAO-08-1047 (PDF)
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081047high.pdf
Revamping the oversight of food safety is especially critical in light of
the global food supply. About 15 percent of the overall U.S. food
supply is imported, as is 60 percent of fresh fruits and vegetables and 75
percent of seafood. In addition, shifting demographics means that more of
the U.S.
population—including older adults, young children, pregnant women, and
immune-compromised individuals—is increasingly susceptible to food-borne
illnesses.
What Needs to Be Done
Congress and the executive branch should create the environment needed to
look across the activities of individual programs and toward the goals the
federal government is trying to achieve. To that end, we have made the
following recommendations:
Highlights of GAO-07-310 (PDF)
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07310high.pdf
The President should reconvene the President’s Council on Food Safety or
create another forum in the short term. In the longer term, the President
should consider alternative structures for oversight of food safety to
facilitate interagency coordination on food safety regulations and
programs.
The executive branch should develop a governmentwide
performance plan that is results-oriented and provides a cross-agency
perspective to help ensure agencies’ goals are complementary and to help
decision makers balance trade-offs when resource allocation and
restructuring decisions are made.
Congress should commission the National Academy of Sciences or a blue
ribbon panel to conduct a detailed analysis of alternative organizational
food safety structures.
Congress should enact comprehensive, uniform, and risk-based food safety
legislation.
Key Reports - Go to
http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/urgent/food-safety.php for the web links
to these reports
Food Safety: Selected Countries' Systems Can Offer Insights into Ensuring
Import Safety and Responding to Foodborne Illness
GAO-08-794, June 10, 2008 - Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full
Report (PDF, 96 pages) Accessible TextFederal
Oversight of Food Safety: FDA Has Provided Few Details on the Resources and
Strategies Needed to Implement its Food Protection Plan
GAO-08-909T, June 12, 2008 - Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full
Report (PDF, 14 pages) Accessible TextFood
Safety: Improvements Needed in FDA Oversight of Fresh Produce
GAO-08-1047, September 26, 2008 Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full
Report (PDF, 71 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)Food Labeling:
FDA Needs to Better Leverage Resources, Improve Oversight, and Effectively
Use Available Data to Help Consumers Select Healthy Foods
GAO-08-597, September 9, 2008 Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full
Report (PDF, 75 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
Source: November 6, 2008 GAO News Release
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