Food Safety: A Unified, Risk-Based System Needed to Enhance Food Safety
(Testimony, 11/04/93, GAO/T-RCED-94-71).

The existing food safety system, which costs $1 billion annually, falls
short in protecting the public from major food borne illnesses.  The
current system was developed in a patchwork fashion over the years--a
series of responses to specific health threats from food.  Efforts to
ensure food safety continue to be hampered by inflexible and outdated
inspection methods, inconsistent oversight and enforcement, and
ineffective coordination.  In GAO's view, the adoption of a risk-based
approach to inspections could make products safer and cut costs as
scarce resources are redirected from low-risk to high-risk operations.
To obtain a uniform, risk-based inspection system, fundamental changes
are needed.  GAO believes that creating a single food safety agency is
the most effective way for the federal government to overcome
long-standing problems, deal with emerging food safety issues, and
guarantee the safety of the nation's food.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-RCED-94-71
     TITLE:  Food Safety: A Unified, Risk-Based System Needed to Enhance 
             Food Safety
      DATE:  11/04/93
   SUBJECT:  Food supply
             Food inspection
             Meat inspection
             Poultry inspection
             Contaminated foods
             Safety standards
             Interagency relations
             Food and drug law
             Agricultural products
             Consumer protection
IDENTIFIER:  National Performance Review
             
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