United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-07-01 monographic deposited born digital 16 p. GA 1.13:T-RCED-99-232 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-232 P0b002ee180379308 f:rc99232t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-232 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-232 T-RCED-99-232 Food inspection Safety regulation Contaminated foods Consumer protection Health hazards Quality control Safety standards Poultry industry Product safety APHIS National Poultry Improvement Plan Salmonella Enteritidis Bacteria Testimony RCED Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed its work on the safety of eggs and egg products, focusing on whether: (1) prevention-based safety practices have been applied on egg farms and at processing plants; (2) implementation of a new federal policy on egg refrigeration will effectively reduce the risks associated with contaminated eggs; (3) federal and state policies and practices on serving eggs to vulnerable populations and dating egg cartons are consistent; and (4) federal egg safety resources are used efficiently and policies are coordinated effectively.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not established prevention-based procedures on egg farms or at shell egg processing plants that would reduce or eliminate Salmonella Enteritidis contamination by identifying, controlling, and monitoring known safety risks; (2) 13 states, responsible for about 38 percent of the nation's egg production, have established voluntary prevention-based programs for egg farms; (3) however, these programs do not provide a uniform level of risk reduction because they take different approaches in critical areas such as the frequency of testing for the presence of Salmonella Enteritidis; (4) the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) does not require a prevention-based approach in processing plants where eggs are broken to create egg products; (5) the first national requirement to refrigerate eggs at 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below from the time they are packed until they reach the consumer may not, for a variety of reasons, effectively reduce egg safety risks; (6) implementation and enforcement of the requirements will be split between FSIS and FDA; (7) FSIS has issued regulations, which take effect in August, requiring that eggs be refrigerated during storage and transportation; (8) however, FDA has not yet proposed regulations to require that eggs be refrigerated after they arrive at retail locations such as restaurants and grocery stores; (9) many experts believe that greater risk reduction could be achieved by controlling the internal temperature of the egg, something that the new regulations will not require; (10) inconsistent policies and practices in three other areas have weakened the nation's egg safety efforts; (11) certain groups are more likely to suffer severe health consequences from eating contaminated eggs; (12) only about half the states have followed FDA's recommendation that they require food service operators to use pasteurized eggs or egg products when serving these groups; (13) federal policies allow some eggs to be returned from grocery stores to processors to be repackaged, redated, and returned to the retail level for sale; (14) there are inconsistencies in how expiration dates are used on egg cartons; (15) the inconsistencies in repackaging and expiration dating can mislead consumers about the eggs' freshness and may pose a food safety risk; and (16) the involvement of four federal agencies enforcing a variety of laws makes it difficult to direct resources to the areas of highest safety risk and to effectively coordinate egg safety policies. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-232/html/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-232.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-232/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-232.pdf GAO/T-RCED-99-232 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-RCED-99-232 Testimony GAO/T-RCED-99-232; Food Safety: U.S. Needs a Consistent Farm-to-Table; Food inspection Safety regulation Contaminated foods Consumer protection Health hazards Quality control Safety standards Poultry industry Product safety APHIS National Poultry Improvement Plan Salmonella Enteritidis Bacteria