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Food Safety Regulation in the United States

Food Safety Regulation in the United States. Caroline Smith DeWaal Food Safety Director Center for Science in the Public Interest Seattle, Washington April 11, 2008. What is the Center for Science in the Public Interest(CSPI)?.

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Food Safety Regulation in the United States

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  1. Food Safety Regulationin the United States Caroline Smith DeWaal Food Safety Director Center for Science in the Public Interest Seattle, Washington April 11, 2008

  2. What is the Center for Science in the Public Interest(CSPI)? • A nonprofit health advocacy and education organization, focusing on: • Food safety • Nutrition • Alcohol issues • Supported principally by 900,000 subscribers to Nutrition Action HealthLetter and by foundation grants. • We accept no government or industry funding.

  3. Foodborne Illness • The CDC estimates that foodborne diseases affect 76 million Americans annually • An estimated 5,000 Americans die from foodborne diseases and another 325,000 people are hospitalized each year • The worst cases of foodborne illness occur in the most vulnerable: the old, the young, and those with weakened immune systems

  4. History of Outbreak Alert! • CSPI started collecting data on food-borne illness outbreaks in 1997 and organized it by regulatory agency • The data was not available from CDC without a FOIA; however, with our continued requests, CDC started posting yearly line listings on the internet • Starting in 1999, we publish annually our outbreaks organized by food category and by regulatory agency.

  5. Number of Outbreaks by Food, 1990-2005 Source: Outbreak Alert! Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2007

  6. Complex System of Laws “The safety and quality of the U.S. food supply is governed by a highly complex system stemming from 30 principal laws related to food safety” GAO, Steps Should be Taken to Reduce Overlapping Inspections and Related Activities, May 17, 2005

  7. 100 Years of Food Laws • Pure Food and Drug Act-1906 • Federal Meat Inspection Act-1907 • Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act-1938 • Public Health Service Act-1944 • Poultry Products Inspection Act-1957 • Egg Products Inspection Act-1970 • Infant Formula Act-1980 • Sanitary Food Transportation Act-1990 • Food Quality Protection Act-1996 • Bioterrorism Act-2002 • Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act-2004 • Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act-2007

  8. Food Regulation12 Agencies; 35 Statutes The National Academy of Sciences identified multiple agencies administering numerous food-related statutes resulting in: • An absence of focused leadership • Lack of a common mission • Inadequate emphasis on surveillance • Lack of nationwide adherence to appropriate minimum standards

  9. Two Major Food Safety Agencies • Food and Drug Administration (HHS) • Responsible for 80% of food supply (Fruit, vegetables, processed foods, seafood, etc.) • Fewer than 2,000 inspectors • More than 136,000 domestic establishments • Random Inspections (frequency as little as once every 10 years) • Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA) • Responsible for 20% of food supply (Meat, Poultry Eggs) • More than 7,300 inspectors • 6,200 federally inspected establishments • Daily and Continuous Inspections

  10. Food-Related Outbreaks by Government Agency 1990-2005

  11. Ten Other Agencies • Centers for Disease Control • Foodborne Illness Surveillance • Environmental Protection Agency • Pesticide Residue Levels • Animal Plant Health Inspection Service • Controls Outbreaks of Animal and Plant Diseases • Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration • Quality and Inspection Standards for Grains • Agricultural Marketing Service • Egg Quality and Marketing Program • Agricultural Research Service • Food Safety Research • National Agricultural Statistics Service • Statistical Data on Agricultural Chemical Usage • Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service • University-based Food Safety Research & Education • National Marine Fisheries Service • NOAA Seafood Inspection Program • Department of Homeland Security • Coordination of Food Security Activities

  12. Overlapping ResponsibilitiesFour Agencies Performing Similar Roles

  13. Piecemeal EvolutionIn Need of Revolution? “The federal regulatory system for food safety, like many others in the federal government, evolved piecemeal, typically in response to particular health threats or economic crises. GAO, Federal Oversight of Food Safety, April 24, 2007

  14. 1998 National Academy of Sciences Study Found Poorly Integrated Decision-making “With so many agencies involved in food safety, decisions and priorities often focus on specific issues rather than strategies . . .. The system that has evolved in the federal government for regulating food safety is complex, fragmented, and cumbersome.” National Research Council, Ensuring Safe Food From Production to Consumption, 1998

  15. 2007 Findings of FDA’s Science Board “The FDA does not have the capacity to ensure the safety of food for the nation: “There is an appallingly low inspection rate: the FDA cannot sufficiently monitor either the tremendous volume of products manufactured domestically or the exponential growth of imports.” National Science Board, FDA Science and Mission at Risk, Nov. 2007

  16. 2007 “High Risk” Designation by the GAO “We have added food safety to our list of programs needing urgent attention and transformation to ensure our government functions in the most economical, efficient and effective manner possible. . . An accidental or deliberate contamination of food or the introduction of a disease to livestock, poultry or crops could undermine consumer confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply. . .” GAO, High-Risk Designation Can Bring Needed Attention to Fragmented System, February 8, 2007

  17. Consumer confidence • The Food Marketing Institute annual survey found that overall confidence in the safety of food dropped from 82% in 2006 to 66% in 2007. • A survey of consumer confidence in FDA has also showed huge declines – dropping from 56% in 2004 to 36% in 2006. • In July, 83 percent of shoppers voiced concern about food from China, and 61 percent about food from Mexico.

  18. Building a Modern Food Safety System: CSPI White Paper CSPI has written a blue print for FDA reform for Congress: • Preventive Process Controls and Performance Standards • Inspections and State/Federal Cooperation • Food Imports • Research and Education • On-Farm Food Safety • Enforcement Authority http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/fswhitepaper.pdf

  19. Food Safety Legislation In the 110th Congress

  20. Questions? Caroline Smith DeWaal Food Safety Director Center for Science in the Public Interest Washington, DC phone (202) 777-8366 e-mail cdewaal@cspinet.org On the internet: www.cspinet.org www.safefoodinternational.org To search our Outbreak Alert database: http://www.cspinet.org/foodsafety/

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