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 2007-04-24 monographic deposited born digital 13 p. GA 1.13:GAO-07-785T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-785T P0b002ee180379e03 f:d07785t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-785T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-785T GAO-07-785T Consumer protection Contaminated foods Food industry Food inspection Food supply Health hazards Product recalls Product safety Public health Safety standards Voluntary compliance Government agency oversight E. coli Bacteria GAO High Risk Series Salmonella Enteritidis Bacteria Testimony A68708 Each year, about 76 million people contract a foodborne illness in the United States; about 325,000 require hospitalization; and about 5,000 die. The outbreaks of E. coli in spinach and Salmonella in peanut butter, along with contamination in pet food, have highlighted the risks posed by accidental food contamination. The attacks of September 11, 2001, heightened awareness that the food supply could also be vulnerable to deliberate contamination. This testimony focuses on the (1) role that GAO's high-risk series can play in raising the priority and visibility of the need to transform federal oversight of food safety, (2) fragmented nature of federal oversight of food safety, and (3) limitations in federal food recall programs. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-785T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-785T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-785T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-785T.pdf GAO-07-785T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-785T Testimony GAO-07-785T; Federal Oversight of Food Safety: High-Risk Designation Can Bring Attention to Limitations in the Government's Food Recall Programs; Consumer protection Contaminated foods Food industry Food inspection Food supply Health hazards Product recalls Product safety Public health Safety standards Voluntary compliance Government agency oversight E. coli Bacteria GAO High Risk Series Salmonella Enteritidis Bacteria