Ensuring safe food : from production to consumption

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 17 Changes in the US Food System and Their Effects on Food Safety 18 Scope of the Food Safety Problem 20 History of US Food Safety Regulation 21 The Committee and Its Charge 23 2 THE CURRENT US FOOD SAFETY SYSTEM 25 Regulation 26 Federal Regulatory Programs 26 State and Local Regulatory Systems 28 HACCP Systems 29 Voluntary Efforts 31 Liability 33 Surveillance 34 Human and Animal Disease 34 Chemical Residues and Environmental Contaminants 36 Technical Guidance and Education 38 Government Activities 38 Private Efforts 39 Consumer Responsibility and Perceptions 39 CONTENTS ix About this PDF file: This new digital representation of the original work has been recomposed from XML files created from the original paper book, not from the original typesetting files. 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Ensuring Safe Food: From Production to Consumption http://www.nap.edu/catalog/6163.html The Role of Media-Government Partnerships in Food Safety Education 42 Research and Development 43 Federal Research Activities 43 Application of New Technology 45 International Dimensions 46 Food Safety Efforts of Other Countries 46 US Regulation of Imported Foods 47 Summary Findings: The Current US System for Food Safety 49 3 THE CHANGING NATURE OF FOOD HAZARDS: CAUSE FOR INCREASING CONCERN 51 Changes that Affect the Epidemiology of Foodborne Disease 51 Diet 52 Commercial Food Service 54 Methods of Production and Distribution 54 New or Re-emerging Infectious Foodborne Agents 55 Populations at High Risk for Severe or Fatal Foodborne Disease 56 Changes in Chemical Hazards Associated with the Food Supply 57 New Food Components 58 New Food Technologies 59 New or Re-emerging Toxic Agents 59 Physical Hazards 60 Summary Findings: The Changing Nature of Food Hazards 61 4 WHAT CONSTITUTES AN EFFECTIVE FOOD SAFETY SYSTEM? 63 The Mission of the System 63 General Attributes of the System 65 The Importance of Partnering 67 The Roles of Government Partners 67 A Science-Based Foundation Using Risk Analysis 68 Adequate Surveillance and Monitoring 69 Focused Education and Research 69 Effective and Consistent Regulation and Enforcement 71 Response and Adaptation to New Technology and Changing Consumer Needs 71 Human and Financial Resources 72 The Roles of Private-Sector Partners 73 Producers 73 Processors, Marketers, and Distributors 74 The Role of the Consumer 75 The Role of Other Partners 76 A Dynamic Interdependence 77 Summary Findings: An Effective Food Safety System 78 CONTENTS x About this PDF file: This new digital representation of the original work has been recomposed from XML files created from the original paper book, not from the original typesetting files. 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Ensuring Safe Food: From Production to Consumption http://www.nap.edu/catalog/6163.html 5 WHERE CURRENT US FOOD SAFETY ACTIVITIES FALL SHORT 79 Inadequate Application of Science 80 Research Funding Levels 81 Recent Efforts to Improve Research 82 Inadequate Use of Risk Assessment 82 Insufficient Information 83 HACCP Systems and Their Limitations 84 Absence of Focused Leadership 85 Statutory Limitations 85 Lack of Coordination 87 Deficiencies in Regulation of Imported Food 89 Summary Findings: Where the US Food Safety System Falls Short 90 6 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 91 Scientific Recommendations 92 Rationale for Recommendations Related to a Science-Based System 95 Role of Risk Analysis 96 Resources Required for Research 96 Recommendations to Implement a Science-Based System Through Organizational Changes 97 Rationale for Organizational Recommendations 98 Centralized and Unified Federal Framework 98 Integration of Food Safety Efforts 99 REFERENCES 101 APPENDIXES 105 A Glossary and Organizational Framework for Current Food Safety System 105 B CRS Report for Congress, Food Safety: Recommendations for Changes in the Organization of Federal Food Safety Responsibilities, 1949-1997 115 C Executive Summary: Food Safety From Farm to Table: A National Food-Safety Initiative 161 D Summary of Comments and Testimony from Workshop (April 29-30, 1998) and Agenda 169 E Federal Food Safety Budget Information 181 F Acknowledgments 185 G Committee Biographical Sketches 189 CONTENTS xi About this PDF file: This new digital representation of the original work has been recomposed from XML files created from the original paper book, not from the original typesetting files. Page breaks are true to the original; line lengths, word breaks, heading styles, and other typesetting-specific formatting, however, cannot be retained, and some typographic errors may have been accidentally inserted. Please use the print version of this publication as the authoritative version for attribution. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Ensuring Safe Food: From Production to Consumption http://www.nap.edu/catalog/6163.html PREFACE xii About