University of Georgia Family and Consumer Sciences Cooperative Extension

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A National Plan for Food Safety Action

Elizabeth Andress, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Extension Food Safety Specialist   eandress@uga.edu
Some significant steps in the fight against foodborne illness were taken in 1997, due in large part to an announcement by the President at the beginning of the year. In his radio address to the nation on January 25, he set food safety as a top priority for the administration and shared his request for $43.2 million in the 1998 budget to fund a nationwide early warning system for foodborne illness, increase seafood safety inspections, and expand food safety research, training and education. President Clinton also directed the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to identify additional ways to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness and make sure our food supply is the safest in the world and report to him in 90 days. They were further directed to develop their recommendations in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders in the food safety system.

The agencies released a draft document summarizing their initial ideas for discussion, held public meetings and accepted written comments through the Federal Register process. The report, Food Safety From Farm to Table, was delivered to the President on May 12, 1997, and the Clinton Administration announced their five-point plan with the goal of increasing the safety of the nation's food supply. The plan sets up a collaborative approach to improving the country's food safety among consumers, producers, industry, states, universities, the public and the Administration.

The National Food Safety Initiative has its overall goal "to reduce, to the greatest extent possible, the incidence of foodborne illness." There are roles and responsibilities for all. However, the five steps the Administration announced it will do are:



  • Improve inspections and expand preventive food safety measures such as HACCP in our food industries;

  • Increase research to improve detection of foodborne pathogens and improve assessment of risks in the food supply;

  • Build a national Early Warning System to detect and respond to foodborne illness outbreaks earlier and provide data needed to prevent future outbreaks;

  • Establish a national education campaign that will improve food handling in homes and retail outlets;

  • Strengthen coordination and improve efficiency among the USDA, CDC, FDA and EPA to improve responses to foodborne illness outbreaks.

This new action plan builds upon other recent accomplishments in food safety regulation. Building upon recommendations from the Vice President's National Performance Review (NPR) in 1993, new science-based, preventive hazard controls have been emphasized. The NPR urged implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems in food manufacturing in particular. Accomplishments since the NPR include :



  • 1994 - CDC began implementation of the Emerging Infections Program (EIP), a new strategic program to detect, prevent, and control emerging infectious disease threats, some of which are foodborne. This is being carried out in collaboration with state and local health departments, academic institutions, and organizations of health professionals.

  • 1995 - The foodborne disease component of CDC's EIP, the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), was established in five locations. Two more states were added in 1997.

  • December 1995 - New rules to ensure seafood safety were issued. These established a HACCP-based regulatory program to require food industries to design and implement preventive measures and increase the industries' responsibility for and control of their safety assurance actions.

  • July 1996 - New regulations to "modernize" the nation's meat and poultry inspection system for the first time in 90 years were issued. New standards are expected to help prevent bacterial contamination, such as E. coli, in meat in particular.

  • August 1996 - The President signed the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996. The law requires drinking water systems to protect against dangerous contaminants like Cryptosporidium, and gives people the right to know about contaminants in their tap water.

  • August 1996 - The President signed the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, which streamlines regulation of pesticides by FDA and EPA and puts important new public-health protections in place, especially for children. This landmark legislation also effectively eliminates the zero-tolerance policy for food additives found in the Delaney Clause and puts increased emphasis on risk assessment.

Since the May 1997 report to the President, Food Safety From Farm to Table, outlined our National Food Safety Initiative, there have been some more developments in our food protection systems:



  • June 1997 - The FDA issued the 1997 edition of the Food Code containing the latest science-based guidelines for food safety in restaurants, grocery stores, nursing homes, and other institutional and retail foodservice settings. The Food Code serves as a model for the more than 3,000 state and local health regulatory agencies in our country and its recommendations are compatible with implementation of HACCP-based food safety systems in foodservice.

  • August 1997 - A bill entitled, The Food Safety Enforcement Enhancement Act of 1997, was announced to amend the authorities of USDA and FDA to provide authority to require recalls of food that poses a threat to public health. It would also allow the agencies to level civil monetary penalties for food safety violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act , The Federal Meat Inspection Act, and The Poultry Products Inspection Act.

  • October 1997 - The Partnership for Food Safety Education launched its FightBAC! ' campaign to educate consumers on the problem of foodborne illness and motivate them to adopt safe food handling practices. The Partnership is a public-private collaboration formalized as a result of the Presiden'ts Food Safety Initiative.

  • October 1997 - A new initiative to ensure the safety of imported and domestic fruits and vegetables was announced. The President announced new legislation going to Congress to enhance FDA oversight for imported foods and a directive to the FDA and USDA to develop guidance on good agricultural and manufacturing practices for fruits and vegetables.

  • November 1997 - A working draft of a Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables was released by FDA and USDA in response to the President's October announcement of an initiative to ensure safety of fruits and vegetables.

  • November 1997 - The FDA Modernization Act of 1997 is major legislation proposed to reform the way FDA regulates medical products and devices, drugs and food packaging and labeling.

  • December 1997 - Approval for irradiation of meat to control pathogenic bacteria is given by FDA. The industry and consumers may take time to adopt this technology, but the approval provides a needed tool in the fight against foodborne illness.

  • December 1997 - Seafood HACCP regulations, published in December 1995, went into effect.

  • January 1998 - Implementation of HACCP in large federally-inspected meat and poultry processing and slaughter plants is required. Implementation of HACCP began in January 1997 and is being phased on over 3 years based on plant size. Full implementation for all size plants is to be accomplished by January 2000.

Still more new federal regulatory initiatives and campaigns in food safety education are to be expected. The Departments of HHS and Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency have laid the groundwork for collaborative strategic planning through the National Food Safety Initiative. Long range planning for improvements in our food protection systems is taking place at the same time that more immediate reforms and actions are being implemented to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness.

References:

Bachorik, L. FDA Proposes Legislation to Improve Food Safety. FDA Talk Paper. FDA, Rockville, MD. August 29, 1997.

Clinton Administration Accomplishments in Improving Food Safety. Briefing Handout. Office of the White House, Washington, DC. October 2, 1997.

FDA. Irradiation in the production, processing and handling of food. Federal Register 62(232):64107-64121. December 3, 1997.

Food Safety From Farm To Table: A National Food Safety Initiative. Report to the President. FDA, USDA, US EPA, and CDC, Washington, DC. May 1997.

Food Safety Initiative Fact Sheet. Executive Office of the President, White House. May 12, 1997.

Foulke, J. 1997 Food Code Updates Food Safety Guidelines. FDA Talk Paper. FDA, Rockville, MD. June 11, 1997.

Foulke, J. and A. Whitmore. FDA/Seafood Industry Food Safety Initiative Goes Into Full Effect. HHS News, US DHHS, Washington, DC. December 18, 1997.

Meat and Poultry Inspection: 1996 Report of the Secretary of Agriculture to the U.S. Congress. FSIS, USDA, Washington, DC. September 1997.

Partnership for Food Safety Education. New Safe Handling Campaign Urges Americans to "Fight BAC!" (tm). HHS News, US DHHS, Washington, DC. October 24, 1997.

President Clinton Announces Initiative to Ensure the Safety of Imported and Domestic Fruits and Vegetables. Briefing Handout. Office of the White House, Washington, DC. October 2, 1997.

Proposed Legislation: The Food Safety Enforcement Enhancement Act of 1997. A Bill. FSIS, USDA, Washington, DC. http://www.usda.gov/agency/fsis/recalbil.htm