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Tuesday, 11 November 2008 19:48

US Government Accountability Office (GOA)
November 6, 2008 Identified by GAO as an "Urgent Issue" for the Next President and Congress - Among GAO recommendations are for the President to " ... consider alternative structures for oversight of food safety to facilitate interagency coordination ... [for the Congress to] commission ... a detailed analysis of alternative organizational food safety structures ... [and for Congress to] enact comprehensive, uniform, and risk-based food safety legislation ..." - The other twelve "Urgent Issues" are " ... Caring for Service Members, Defense Readiness, Defense Spending, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, Oversight of Financial Institutions and Markets, ... Large-Scale Health Emergencies, Protecting the Homeland, Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting, ... [Space Shuttle], Surface Transportation, The 2010 Census, [and] ... Digital TV ..."

Document Title: The title of the November 6, 2008 GAO News Release is "GAO Lists Top "Urgent Issues" for next President and Congress; unveils new transition web site"

Organization: US Government Accountability Office

Summary: The following information is taken from the "Revamping Oversight of Food Safety" section of the GAO "Urgent Issues" website
http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/urgent/food-safety.php

Revamping Oversight of Food Safety

Video Message: Lisa R. Shames, Director, Natural Resources and Environment; ShamesL@GAO.gov (202) 512-2649

While this nation enjoys a plentiful and varied food supply that is generally considered to be safe, the fragmented nature of the federal food oversight system undermines the government’s ability to
* plan more strategically to inspect food production processes,
* identify and react more quickly to outbreaks of food-borne illnesses, and
focus on promoting the safety and integrity of the nation’s food supply.

Fifteen federal agencies collectively administer at least 30 laws related to food safety. The two primary agencies are the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which is responsible for meat, poultry, and processed egg products, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for virtually all other foods. GAO has reported that this fragmented systems has caused
* inconsistent oversight,
* ineffective coordination, and
* inefficient use of resources.

For example, federal expenditures on food safety are not based on the volume of foods regulated by the agencies or consumed by the public. USDA programs accounted for the majority of federal expenditures for food safety inspection; however, USDA is responsible for regulating only about 20 percent of the food supply. FDA, which is responsible for regulating about 80 percent of the food supply, accounted for only about 24 percent of expenditures.

FDA has reported that limited resources and authorities challenge its efforts to carry out its food safety responsibilities. For example, FDA’s oversight and enforcement efforts have not kept pace with the growing number of food firms. As a result, FDA has little assurance that companies comply with food-labeling laws and regulations. In addition, while FDA has considered fresh produce safety a priority for many years, resource constraints and other work—including counterterrorism efforts and unplanned events such as food-borne-illness outbreaks—have caused FDA to delay key produce safety activities as well as provide limited oversight of domestic and imported fresh produce.

* Highlights of GAO-08-597 (PDF) http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08597high.pdf
* Highlights of GAO-08-1047 (PDF) http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081047high.pdf

Revamping the oversight of food safety is especially critical in light of the global food supply. About 15 percent of the overall U.S. food supply is imported, as is 60 percent of fresh fruits and vegetables and 75 percent of seafood. In addition, shifting demographics means that more of the U.S. population—including older adults, young children, pregnant women, and immune-compromised individuals—is increasingly susceptible to food-borne illnesses.

What Needs to Be Done

Congress and the executive branch should create the environment needed to look across the activities of individual programs and toward the goals the federal government is trying to achieve. To that end, we have made the following recommendations:

Highlights of GAO-07-310 (PDF)
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07310high.pdf

The President should reconvene the President’s Council on Food Safety or create another forum in the short term. In the longer term, the President should consider alternative structures for oversight of food safety to facilitate interagency coordination on food safety regulations and programs.

The executive branch should develop a governmentwide performance plan that is results-oriented and provides a cross-agency perspective to help ensure agencies’ goals are complementary and to help decision makers balance trade-offs when resource allocation and restructuring decisions are made.

Congress should commission the National Academy of Sciences or a blue ribbon panel to conduct a detailed analysis of alternative organizational food safety structures.

Congress should enact comprehensive, uniform, and risk-based food safety legislation.

Key Reports - Go to http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009/urgent/food-safety.php for the web links to these reports

Food Safety: Selected Countries' Systems Can Offer Insights into Ensuring Import Safety and Responding to Foodborne Illness GAO-08-794, June 10, 2008 - Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 96 pages) Accessible TextFederal Oversight of Food Safety: FDA Has Provided Few Details on the Resources and Strategies Needed to Implement its Food Protection Plan

GAO-08-909T, June 12, 2008 - Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 14 pages) Accessible TextFood Safety: Improvements Needed in FDA Oversight of Fresh Produce

GAO-08-1047, September 26, 2008 Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 71 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)Food Labeling: FDA Needs to Better Leverage Resources, Improve Oversight, and Effectively Use Available Data to Help Consumers Select Healthy Foods

GAO-08-597, September 9, 2008 Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 75 pages) Accessible Text Recommendations (HTML)

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The text of the November 6, 2008 GAO News Release follows

Washington, D.C. – (Nov. 6, 2008) – Acting Comptroller General Gene Dodaro Thursday released a list of 13 urgent issues the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has identified as among those needing the attention of President-Elect Obama and the 111th Congress during the transition and the first year of the new administration and Congress. The list is the centerpiece of a new Web site GAO launched Thursday that is designed to help make the transition an informed and smooth one across the federal government.

“With the serious challenges related to financial markets and the economy, the financial crisis facing the nation, two wars under way, and the first transition since 9/11 and the creation of a Department of Homeland Security, this is absolutely a unique time,” Dodaro said. “GAO has combed through all of our recent work to help identify where our work can help address urgent challenges facing the nation now, to assist new appointees in every agency zero in on the challenges of that particular agency, and to help identify areas with the potential to save the nation billions of dollars. The new Web site is designed to be easy to navigate and to find information since this is a period when appointees have limited time to learn about their new positions and the challenges that come with making a successful transition from campaigning to governing,” Dodaro said. Amendments to the Presidential Transition Act in 2000 included GAO as a resource to incoming administrations, specifically identifying GAO to serve as a source of briefings and other materials.

The 13 “Urgent Issues” GAO identified based on its work that require urgent attention and continuing oversight to ensure the nation’s security and well-being are (listed alphabetically):

• Caring for Service Members
• Defense Readiness
• Defense Spending
• Food Safety
• Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
• Oversight of Financial Institutions and Markets
• Preparing for Large-Scale Health Emergencies
• Protecting the Homeland
• Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting
• Retirement of the Space Shuttle
• Surface Transportation
• The 2010 Census
• Transition to Digital TV

In addition to the urgent issues, the new GAO Web site (http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009) will include sections on:
* Agency-by-Agency Issues - Each agency faces a range of distinctive major challenges affecting its mission, budget, and programs. Here, GAO summarizes its work at 28 federal agencies. This section allows new appointees to quickly and easily review GAO’s findings and recommendations on challenges facing each particular agency.

* Major Cost-Saving Opportunities - A number of opportunities exist to limit costs and reduce waste across agencies and programs, as well as increase collection of revenues already due the government. GAO discusses about 50 such opportunities.

Management Challenges Across the Government

Agencies share a number of management challenges to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness and address current and emerging demands.

Long-Term Fiscal Outlook

This section describes the federal government's long-term fiscal challenges.

Examples of Upcoming GAO reports on Major National Issues - GAO's forthcoming work focuses on a wide range of key federal policies and programs.

GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, helps meet legislators' need for timely and reliable information on a wide range of government activities. The agency seeks to improve the performance of the federal government and hold it accountable to Congress and, ultimately, the American people. GAO examines the use of public funds; evaluates how well programs and policies are meeting their objectives; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make sound oversight, policy, and funding decisions.

Source: November 6, 2008 GAO News Release