Revamping Oversight of Food Safety
Video Message: Lisa R. Shames
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. This fragmented system is the key reason GAO added the federal oversight of food safety to its high-risk list in 2007. 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
Highlights of GAO-09-271 (PDF)
- 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), Highlights of GAO-08-1047 (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.
^ Back to topWhat 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)
- 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.
^ Back to topKey Reports
- Food Safety: Improvements Needed in FDA Oversight of Fresh Produce
- GAO-08-1047, September 26, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 77 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, 81 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- Federal 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, 18 pages) Accessible Text
- 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, 101 pages) Accessible Text
- Bottled Water: FDA Safety and Consumer Protections Are Often Less Stringent Than Comparable EPA Protections for Tap Water
- GAO-09-861T, July 8, 2009
- Summary (HTML) Full Report (PDF, 8 pages) Accessible Text
- Bottled Water: FDA Safety and Consumer Protections Are Often Less Stringent Than Comparable EPA Protections for Tap Water
- GAO-09-610, June 22, 2009
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 56 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- Veterinarian Workforce: The Federal Government Lacks a Comprehensive Understanding of Its Capacity to Protect Animal and Public Health
- GAO-09-424T, February 26, 2009
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 12 pages) Accessible Text
- Seafood Fraud: FDA Program Changes and Better Collaboration among Key Federal Agencies Could Improve Detection and Prevention
- GAO-09-258, February 19, 2009
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 53 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- Dietary Supplements: FDA Should Take Further Actions to Improve Oversight and Consumer Understanding
- GAO-09-250, January 29, 2009
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 77 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- High-Risk Series: An Update
- GAO-09-271, January 22, 2009
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 99 pages) Accessible Text
- Genetically Engineered Crops: Agencies Are Proposing Changes to Improve Oversight, but Could Take Additional Steps to Enhance Coordination and Monitoring
- GAO-09-60, November 5, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 109 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- Food Safety: Improvements Needed in FDA Oversight of Fresh Produce
- GAO-08-1047, September 26, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 77 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, 81 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- Federal 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, 18 pages) Accessible Text
- 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, 101 pages) Accessible Text
- International Food Security: Insufficient Efforts by Host Governments and Donors Threaten Progress to Halve Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2015
- GAO-08-680, May 29, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 96 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- Federal Oversight of Food Safety: FDA's Food Protection Plan Proposes Positive First Steps, but Capacity to Carry Them Out Is Critical
- GAO-08-435T, January 29, 2008
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 19 pages) Accessible Text
- Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service: Prohibition of the Use of Specified Risk Materials for Human Food and Requirements for the Disposition of Non-Ambulatory Disabled Cattle; Prohibition of the Use of Certain Stunning Devices Use to Immobilize Cattle During Slaughter
- GAO-07-1123R, August 15, 2007
- Summary (HTML) Full Report (PDF, 4 pages) Full Report (HTML)
- Federal Oversight of Food Safety: High-Risk Designation Can Bring Attention to Limitations in the Government's Food Recall Programs
- GAO-07-785T, April 24, 2007
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 13 pages) Accessible Text
- Federal Oversight of Food Safety: High-Risk Designation Can Bring Needed Attention to Fragmented System
- GAO-07-449T, February 8, 2007
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 19 pages) Accessible Text
- High Risk Series: An Update
- GAO-07-310, January 31, 2007
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 98 pages) Accessible Text
- Oversight of Food Safety Activities: Federal Agencies Should Pursue Opportunities to Reduce Overlap and Better Leverage Resources
- GAO-05-213, March 30, 2005
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 96 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)
- Food Safety: Experiences of Seven Countries in Consolidating Their Food Safety Systems
- GAO-05-212, February 22, 2005
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 68 pages) Accessible Text
- Food Safety: USDA and FDA Need to Better Ensure Prompt and Complete Recalls of Potentially Unsafe Food
- GAO-05-51, October 7, 2004
- Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 83 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)