United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2005-02-22 monographic deposited born digital 68 p. GA 1.13:GAO-05-212 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-212 P0b002ee1803a1ad1 f:d05212 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-212 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-212 GAO-05-212 Consumer protection Federal agency reorganization Food and drug legislation Food industry Food inspection Foreign governments Interagency relations Proposed legislation Safety regulation Safety standards Food safety Standards (food) Canada Denmark Germany Ireland Netherlands New Zealand United Kingdom Other Written Product A18056 The safety and quality of the U.S. food supply are governed by a complex system that is administered by 15 agencies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have primary responsibility for food safety. Many legislative proposals have been made to consolidate the U.S. food safety system, but to date no other action has been taken. Several countries have taken steps to streamline and consolidate their food safety systems. In 1999, we reported on the initial experiences of four of these countries--Canada, Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Since then, additional countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, have undertaken consolidations. This report describes the approaches and challenges these countries faced in consolidating food safety functions, including the benefits and costs cited by government officials and other stakeholders. In commenting on a draft of this report, HHS and USDA said that the countries' consolidation experiences have limited applicability to the U.S. food safety system because the countries are much smaller than the United States. The two agencies believe that they are working together effectively to ensure the safety of the food supply. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-212/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-212.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-212/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-212.pdf GAO-05-212 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-212 Other Written Product GAO-05-212; Food Safety: Experiences of Seven Countries in Consolidating Their Food Safety Systems; Consumer protection Federal agency reorganization Food and drug legislation Food industry Food inspection Foreign governments Interagency relations Proposed legislation Safety regulation Safety standards Food safety Standards (food) Canada Denmark Germany Ireland Netherlands New Zealand United Kingdom Volume 116 Page 2135 116 Stat. 2135 Public Law 107-296