August 23, 2001

The year 2000 was one of significant progress in food safety at FDA. Highlights included:

• The science at the heart of FDA decisionmaking was advanced substantially For example, FDA developed improved methods for detecting and/or characterizing pathogens such as Cyclospora and E. coli and developed draft risk assessments on certain public health risks associated with Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods and Vibrio parahaemolyticus in raw oysters.
  
• The volume of "high-risk" food inspections nearly doubled from the previous year, as did the number of international inspections.
  
• The agency completed a survey of imported produce and followed up by beginning a complementary sampling assignment for domestic produce.
  
• Huge strides were made in ensuring that HACCP principles are applied to protect consumers of juice and seafood products.
  
• Eggs and sprouts were given priority food safety focus.
  
• 2000 also saw evidence of impressive declines in foodborne illness since inception of the Food Safety Initative, thanks in large part to food safety surveillance tools such as PulseNet, FoodNet and the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring Network. FDA also substantially furthered its understanding of the human impact of antimicrobial resistance in animals.
  
• Seniors, teachers and school children, consumers and health professionals were among the focuses for food safety education materials developed by FDA. For seniors, the agency launched a food safety education campaign with print and video components. Fifty teachers from across the United States participated in a food safety Train-the-Trainers program, cosponsored by FDA and the National Science Teachers Association, that prepared them to teach fellow teachers as well as their students about science nd the safety of food. And the "Fight BAC!" campaign continued to reach across the country to teach safe food handling practices to consumers of all ages.
  
• Chile, New Zealand, Nicaragua, and the United States itself were among the more than 30 countries whose representatives learned about good agricultural practices and identifying food contamination sources, among other crucial topics, at FDA-sponsored food safety outreach programs.
  

Free individual copies of the report are available by sending a toll-free fax, including name and mailing address, to 1-877-FOODFACS (1-877-366-3322).

Food Safety Initiative Staff E-mail: chall@cfsan.fda.gov	Office Number: (202) 260-8920 · FAX (202) 260-9653 CFSAN Web site: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/

Hypertext updated by dav 2001-AUG-27