USDA HHS/ FDA Treasury Commerce The Need for a Single Food Safety Agency Caroline Smith DeWaal Center for Science in the Public Interest September 2002

Food-Poisoning Outbreaks Are a Serious Problem in the U.S. Unsafe foods are estimated to cause 76 million illnesses and 5,000 deaths per year. Those who are most at risk are the elderly, children, pregnant women, and ill people. A single outbreak can affect hundreds, or even thousands, of people

Changes Impacting Food Safety Localized production to centralized production Improved transportation Increased imported foods Terrorism Aging of the population and increased virulence of some foodborne pathogens

Outbreaks Are a Symptom of the Ailing Food Safety System in the U.S. The CDC’s Program for surveillance of foodborne illness outbreaks is flawed. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) fail to adequately protect consumers from foodborne illness.

Closing the Gaps in Our Federal Food-Safety Net Center for Science in the Public Interest Updated and Revised September, 2002 Available on the web at

What is so special about Outbreak Alert? Only source to find outbreaks listed according to their food source. Contains over 10 years of outbreaks reported to CDC; in medical and scientific journals; or in the media AND confirmed by public health officials. We’re picky – must have identified food source and disease agent.

CSPI’S Findings Foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were the vehicles in two-thirds of the outbreaks in CSPI’s database, while foods regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) were the vehicles in one-fourth of the outbreaks. The top five single-food categories linked to outbreaks were seafood, produce, eggs, beef, and poultry. Produce caused the highest number of cases of food poisoning linked to outbreaks. Around 40% of produce outbreaks were caused by pathogens commonly found in meat and poultry.

Percent of Outbreaks Traced to FDA- and USDA-Regulated Foods N = 2472

Food Categories Linked to Outbreaks N = 2472 FDA USDA Both

Comparing Outbreaks and Illnesses Among Different-Food Groups Source: CSPI’s Outbreak Alert, 2002 Total Number of Outbreaks = 2472

Food Safety Funding for FDA and USDA FY 2002

Percent of Outbreaks Traced to USDA and FDA-Regulated Foods Food Safety Funding for FDA and USDA FY 2002, Millions of Dollars New Funding Needed (FDA)

CSPI Concerns About Food Safety Regulatory Structure Food safety problems can fall through the cracks of agency jurisdiction Many issues remain unaddressed because shared jurisdiction prevents needed regulation Some inspection resources are duplicated or absent

CSPI Concerns About Food Safety Regulatory Structure (Con’t.) HACCP is a different system at FDA and at USDA New technologies are delayed or escape review by multiple agencies Confusing and inconsistent safety standards Imported products are treated differently depending on whether FDA or USDA has jurisdiction

Supporters of a Single Food Safety Agency 1969 White House Conference on Food 1972 Ralph Nader Report -- Sowing the Wind 1977 Senate Governmental Affairs Report 1992 GAO -- Risk-Based Food Safety Inspection Report 2000 Food Marketing Institute 2001 Consumers Union

New Voices In Support Dr. John Bailar III: “When bioterrorism is added to the mix, … consolidation … for food safety into a single high-level agency is critical.” Chair, NAS Committee on Ensuring Safe Food Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge: “We need to have food inspectors. … But [we could] enhance our security, improve our efficiency, and maybe save a few bucks, … if we merged functions.” November, 2001

“The federal government is also responsible for the safety of the nation’s food supply. The way things work now, there’s one agency that inspects cheese pizza. There’s another that inspects pepperoni pizza. There is one agency that inspects food grown outside the United States. Another inspects food grown inside the United States. Apparently, the revolutionary idea that maybe these functions could be combined hasn’t dawned on anyone yet.” George W. Bush, “Getting Results from Government” Philadelphia, Pennsylvania June 9, 2001

The Recipe For Safe Food