; purposes (a) Findings Congress finds that— (1) the safety of the food supply of the United States is vital to the public health, to public confidence in the food supply, and to the success of the food sector of the Nation’s economy; (2) lapses in the protection of the food supply and loss of public confidence in food safety are damaging to consumers and the food industry, and place a burden on interstate commerce; (3) the safety and security of the food supply requires an integrated, systemwide approach to preventing foodborne illness, a thorough and broad-based approach to basic and applied research, and intensive, effective, and efficient management of the Nation’s food safety program; (4) the task of preserving the safety of the food supply of the United States faces tremendous pressures with regard to— (A) emerging pathogens and other contaminants and the ability to detect all forms of contamination; (B) an aging and immune-compromised population, with a growing number of people at high risk for foodborne illnesses, including infants and children; (C) a concern regarding food fraud for economic gain, especially with mislabeling and intentionally misleading claims; (D) an increasing volume of imported food, without adequate monitoring and inspection; and (E) maintenance of rigorous inspection of the domestic food processing and food service industries; (5) Federal food safety standard setting, inspection, enforcement, and research efforts should be based on the best available science and public health considerations and food safety resources should be systematically deployed in ways that most effectively prevent foodborne illness; (6) the Federal food safety system is fragmented, with at least 15 Federal agencies sharing responsibility for food safety, and operates under laws that do not reflect current conditions in the food system or current scientific knowledge about the cause and prevention of foodborne illness