[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 35 (Monday, August 31, 1998)]
[Pages 1654-1655]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Memorandum on the National Academy of Sciences Report on Food Safety

August 25, 1998

Memorandum for the President's Council on Food Safety

Subject: National Academy of Sciences Report

    My Administration is committed to ensuring that the American people 
enjoy the safest food possible. We have made great progress by 
implementing science-based prevention control systems for seafood, meat, 
and poultry; developing a comprehensive initiative to ensure the safety 
of domestic and imported fruits and vegetables; and launching an 
interagency food safety initiative that focuses on key food safety 
issues from the farm to the table. We can and must continue to build 
upon these efforts.
    Under our current food safety system, several different Federal 
agencies have responsibility for improving food safety. Within the 
framework of our interagency initiative, we have taken a number of steps 
to improve the coordination of our food safety efforts. Most recently, 
we established a Joint Institute for Food Safety Research to develop a 
strategic plan for conducting food safety research activities and to 
coordinate all Federal food

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safety research, including with the private sector and academia.
    Today, I signed an Executive Order establishing the President's 
Council on Food Safety. To strengthen and focus our efforts to 
coordinate food safety policy and resources and improve food safety for 
American consumers, the Council will develop a comprehensive strategic 
plan for Federal food safety activities, ensure the most effective use 
of Federal resources through the development and submission of 
coordinated food safety budgets, and oversee the Joint Institute for 
Food Safety Research.
    The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently issued a thoughtful 
and highly informative report on food safety issues, entitled ``Ensuring 
Safe Food from Production to Consumption.'' This report recommends 
additional ways to enhance coordination and improve effectiveness in the 
food safety system, including through reform of current food safety 
legislation.
    I hereby direct the Council to review and respond to this report as 
one of its first orders of business. After providing opportunity for 
public comment, including public meetings, the Council shall report back 
to me within 180 days with its views on the NAS's recommendations. In 
developing this report, the Council should take into account the 
comprehensive strategic Federal food safety plan that it will be 
developing.
    I thank the Council for its efforts to improve food safety, and I 
look forward to the continued leadership of the President's Council on 
Food Safety.
                                            William J. Clinton