Summary

Efforts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to control salmonella outbreaks due to contaminated eggs have been stymied by questions of jurisdiction, lack of scientific data on the salmonella problem, FDA resource considerations, and disagreement between USDA and FDA about what actions to take. These difficulties, like other problems in the food safety area, arise from the present regulatory structure of split and concurrent jurisdictions; food safety efforts are being impeded as a result. Egg safety cannot be ensured without additional controls beyond USDA's current program to test chicken flocks. Flocks that have tested salmonella-free can later become infected by rats or environmental conditions, and some infected eggs may reach the marketplace. The health threat can increase with improper handling as the bacteria continue to multiply. GAO concludes that a comprehensive program is needed to control salmonella through all stages of egg production, distribution, and consumption.

GAO found that: (1) USDA and FDA efforts to control salmonella outbreaks were initially stymied by questions of jurisdiction, a lack of scientific data about the nature of the problem, FDA resource considerations, and disagreement and coordination problems between the two agencies about what actions to take; (2) the coordination and cooperation difficulties were due to the present regulatory structure of split and concurrent jurisdictions; (3) USDA and FDA are trying to restore working relationships for salmonella control, but the federal government has not agreed on a unified approach to address the problem; (4) the difficulties FDA and USDA had working together are not unusual among federal agencies responsible for food safety regulation; and (5) egg safety cannot be ensured without additional controls beyond the current USDA program to test chicken flocks.