August 25, 1998

EXECUTIVE ORDER

                               THE WHITE HOUSE
 
                        Office of the Press Secretary
                     (Martha?s Vineyard, Massachusetts)
  ___________________________________________________________
  For Immediate Release                            August 25, 1998
 
 
                               EXECUTIVE ORDER
 
                                - - - - - - -
 
                     PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ON FOOD SAFETY
 
 
       By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and
  the laws of the United States of America, and in order to improve the
  safety of the food supply through science-based regulation and
  well-coordinated inspection, enforcement, research, and education
  programs, it is hereby ordered as follows:
 
       Section 1.  Establishment of President's Council on Food Safety.
  (a)  There is established the President's Council on Food Safety
  ("Council").  The Council shall comprise the Secretaries of Agriculture,
  Commerce, Health and Human Services, the Director of the Office of
  Management and Budget (OMB), the Administrator of the Environmental
  Protection Agency, the Assistant to the President for Science and
  Technology/Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the
  Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, and the Director of the
  National Partnership for Reinventing Government.  The Council shall
  consult with other Federal agencies and State, local, and tribal
  government agencies, and consumer, producer, scientific, and industry
  groups, as appropriate.
 
       (b)  The Secretaries of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services
  and the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology/Director of
  the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall serve as Joint Chairs
  of the Council.
 
       Sec. 2.  Purpose.  The purpose of the Council shall be to develop a
  comprehensive strategic plan for Federal food safety activities, taking
  into consideration the findings and recommendations of the National
  Academy of Sciences report "Ensuring Safe Food from Production to
  Consumption" and other input from the public on how to improve the
  effectiveness of the current food safety system.  The Council shall make
  recommendations to the President on how to advance Federal
  efforts to implement a comprehensive science-based strategy to improve
  the safety of the food supply and to enhance coordination among Federal
  agencies, State, local, and tribal governments, and the private sector.
  The Council shall advise Federal agencies in setting priority areas for
  investment in food safety.
 
       Sec. 3.  Specific Activities and Functions.  (a)  The Council shall
  develop a comprehensive strategic Federal food safety plan that contains
  specific recommendations on needed changes, including measurable outcome
  goals.  The principal goal of the plan should be the establishment of a
  seamless, science-based food safety system.  The plan should address the
  steps necessary to achieve this goal, including the key public health,
  resource, and management issues regarding food safety.  The planning
  process should consider both short-term and long-term issues including
  new and emerging threats and the special needs of vulnerable populations
  such as children and the elderly.  In developing this plan, the Council
  shall consult with all interested parties, including State and local
  agencies, tribes, consumers, producers, industry, and academia.
 
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       (b)  Consistent with the comprehensive strategic Federal food safety
  plan described in section 3(a) of this order, the Council shall advise
  agencies of priority areas for investment in food safety and ensure that
  Federal agencies annually develop coordinated food safety budgets for
  submission to the OMB that sus-tain and strengthen existing capacities,
  eliminate duplication, and ensure the most effective use of resources for
  improving food safety.  The Council shall also ensure that Federal
  agencies annually develop a unified budget for submission to the OMB for
  the President's Food Safety Initiative and such other food safety issues
  as the Council determines appropriate.
 
       (c)  The Council shall ensure that the Joint Institute for Food
  Safety Research (JIFSR), in consultation with the National Science and
  Technology Council, establishes mechanisms to guide Federal research
  efforts toward the highest priority food safety needs.  The JIFSR shall
  report to the Council on a regular basis on its efforts:  (I) to develop
  a strategic plan for conducting food safety research activities
  consistent with the President's Food Safety Initiative and such other
  food safety activities as the JIFSR determines appropriate; and (ii) to
  coordinate efficiently, within the executive branch and with the private
  sector and academia, all Federal food safety research.
 
       Sec. 4.  Cooperation.  All actions taken by the Council shall, as
  appropriate, promote partnerships and cooperation with States, tribes,
  and other public and private sector efforts wherever possible to improve
  the safety of the food supply.
 
       Sec. 5.  General Provisions.  This order is intended only to improve
  the internal management of the executive branch and is not intended to,
  nor does it, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
  enforceable at law by a party against the United States, its agencies,
  its officers or any person.  Nothing in this order shall affect or alter
  the statutory responsi-bilities of any Federal agency charged with food
  safety responsibilities.
 
 
 
 
 
                                WILLIAM J. CLINTON
 
 
 
 
 
 
  THE WHITE HOUSE,
  August 25, 1998.
 
 
 
 
 
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This is a mirror of the White House Executive Order, August 25, 1998, from the <http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/html/briefroom.html> White House Briefing Room.