Food Safety

The nation's food safety system hampers efforts to address public health concerns and is slow to respond to changing health risks. To resolve long-standing problems and guarantee the safety of the food supply, a single food safety agency administering a uniform set of laws should be created. The existing system is characterized by inconsistent and inflexible oversight and enforcement authorities, inefficient resources use, and ineffective coordination. The adoption of a risk-based approach to inspection could lead to safer products and reduced costs as scarce resources are targeted to high-risk areas. Given the problems associated with establishing a new agency, consolidating food safety responsibilities under an existing department is a more likely scenario, although such an option has its own drawbacks. The Agriculture Department has conflicting interests that undermine public confidence in the government's ability to ensure food safety, and the Food and Drug Administration's food safety program is fraught with serious problems that must be addressed before it is given additional responsibilities.