Informing the Public About Food--A Strategy Is Needed for Improving Communication

Consumers need concise, clear food information as more food products come on the market and inflation drives food prices up. Food information, regulations, and programs have multiplied rapidly in the past decade. Some believe that the information resulting from these efforts is conflicting, confusing, and duplicative. GAO made a review to expand on its earlier suggestion that a cooperative undertaking was needed to develop a national food information strategy, which would include a system for performing research on foods and educating consumers.

The federal government has developed a wide array of regulations and programs to control food labels and to encourage and teach good food buying, storage, and preparation habits. GAO has identified over 125 federal food data-gathering and information dissemination programs. There has been a heightened awareness of food issues, a safer food supply, and more coordination among federal agencies with food information programs. However, lack of a national food information strategy has allowed programs and regulations to be developed piecemeal, so that they are sometimes inconsistent; based on inadequate data; and formulated without integrating the research, education, and communication components of the food information system. The United States could learn from steps which other nations have taken to improve their food information systems. Three federal agencies have proposed requiring that food labels contain certain information without proper assurance that consumers need or would use the information. In 1980, GAO suggested that the proposal should not be implemented but that an overall food information strategy be developed cooperatively by a committee of representatives from the government, industry, academia, and consumer groups. Food experts also feel that a consortium of key federal officials should be established to pool their expertise and develop a national plan that would define U.S. food information needs and communication methods, provide additional scientific information on controversial issues, and evaluate existing programs.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director: Brian P. Crowley Team: General Accounting Office: Community and Economic Development Division Phone: (202) 512-9450