Source:  MEATINGPLACE.COM, 3/2/11

The General Accountability Office, in a new report, is calling for federal food safety responsibilities to be consolidated under one agency to improve oversight.

“The fragmented federal oversight of food safety has caused inconsistent oversight, ineffective coordination, and inefficient use of resources,” the GAO said in a report released Tuesday.

The nationwide recall of more than 500 million eggs due to salmonella contamination highlights the fragmentation, it said.

Noting 15 federal agencies now administer at least 30 food-related laws, the report suggests alternative organizational structures including:
• a single food safety agency, either housed within an existing agency or established as an independent entity, that assumes responsibility for all aspects of food safety at the federal level;
• a single food safety inspection agency that assumes responsibility solely for food safety inspection activities, under an existing department such as USDA or FDA;
• a data collection and risk analysis center for food safety that consolidates data collected from a variety of sources and analyzes it at the national level;
• centralized, executive leadership for the existing organizational structure, led by a central chair who would be appointed by the president and have control over resources.

Reducing fragmentation in food safety oversight is not expected to result in significant cost savings, but may avoid new costs in the future, the report said. FDA and FSIS, the two primary food safety agencies, had budget obligations totaling more than $1.6 billion in fiscal 2009, it noted.

Challenges to the food safety system in the future will come from the increasing portion of the U.S. food supply that is imported, consumers eating more raw and minimally processed foods, and the growing population of people who are susceptible to food-borne illnesses, such as older adults and those with compromised immune systems.

The GAO also recommended that the Office of Management and Budget develop a government-wide performance plan for food safety that includes results-oriented goals and performance measures.

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