For example, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition is  responsible for ensuring that the nation’s food supply is safe, sanitary,  wholesome, and honestly labeled, and that cosmetic products are safe  and properly labeled. FDA Foreign Offices Have Engaged in a Variety of Activities Since 2010 to Help Ensure the Safety of Imported Food

FDA’s foreign offices have engaged in a variety of activities intended to  help ensure the safety of imported food; building relationships with foreign  counterparts has been a top-priority activity. For each of the 5 following years, FSMA  mandated that FDA inspect at least twice the number of facilities  inspected during the previous year. FDA is not currently keeping pace with the FSMA mandate for increased  foreign food inspections under either scenario’s targets. However, FDA has not conducted an  analysis to determine whether either the required number of inspections  in the FSMA mandate or the lower number of inspections it is conducting  is sufficient to ensure comparable safety of imported and domestic food. However, the extent of the contributions is unknown because FDA’s  performance measures have not fully captured these contributions. Without performance measures that can be used to demonstrate the  offices’ contributions to long-term outcomes related to imported FDA- regulated products, FDA has less information available to effectively  measure the foreign offices’ progress toward meeting the agency’s goals. As shown in figure 5, 44 percent of FDA’s approved foreign office  positions were vacant as of October 2014, and most of these vacancies  were in the China Office. In our 2010 report on FDA’s foreign  offices, we recommended that FDA develop a strategic workforce plan for  the foreign offices to help ensure that the agency is able to recruit and  retain staff with the necessary experience and skills. Conclusions

FDA established foreign offices to help prevent unsafe products from  entering the United States. Without such an analysis, FDA is not in a position to know what is a  sufficient number of foreign inspections and, if appropriate, request a  change in the mandate regarding the number of foreign inspections to be  conducted. According to FDA officials, the agency has  initiated a review to determine how to better reflect the value of the  foreign offices in the agency-wide performance system. FDA has taken some steps to address recruitment challenges, but the  agency has not yet completed a strategic workforce plan. We continue to  believe that a strategic workforce plan for the foreign offices is critical to  FDA’s ability to address staffing challenges, especially given the number  of vacancies abroad. Recommendation for Executive Action

To help ensure the safety of food imported into the United States, we  recommend that the Commissioner of Food and Drugs complete an  analysis to determine the annual number of foreign food inspections that  is sufficient to ensure comparable safety of imported and domestic food. Our  objectives of this report were to examine (1) the activities the FDA foreign  offices have engaged in since 2010 to help ensure the safety of imported  food, (2) the extent of the foreign offices’ contributions to the safety of  imported food, and (3) the extent to which FDA has engaged in workforce  planning for its foreign offices. To examine the activities of FDA’s foreign offices, we reviewed and  analyzed documents including FDA reports to Congress that were  mandated by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that  describe the activities of all foreign offices, evaluated written answers to  questions about their activities since the 2010 report, and conducted  structured interviews with FDA officials in the foreign offices, and  analyzed counts of foreign food facility inspections for each year of the  FSMA mandate.
Why GAO Did This Study

FDA has responsibility for ensuring the safety and proper labeling of more than 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, including an increased volume of imported food. Beginning in 2008, FDA established foreign offices to help prevent unsafe products from reaching U.S. borders. In 2010, GAO examined FDA's foreign offices and found that they engaged in a variety of activities relating to food safety but faced challenges due to an increasing workload and other factors. GAO was asked to follow up that report.
This study examines (1) the activities FDA foreign offices have engaged in since 2010 to help ensure the safety of imported food, (2) the extent of the foreign offices' contributions to the safety of imported food, and (3) the extent to which FDA has engaged in workforce planning for its foreign offices. GAO reviewed documentation of foreign office activities and plans, visited offices in China and Mexico, and interviewed agency officials, foreign regulators, and other stakeholders.

What GAO Found

The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) foreign offices have engaged in a variety of activities since 2010 to help ensure that imported food is safe. Foreign offices reported that building relationships with foreign counterparts and gathering and assessing information were among their top priorities. As directed by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), foreign offices also inspected foreign food facilities. Under FSMA, FDA is to inspect at least 600 foreign food facilities in 2011 and, for each of the next 5 years, inspect at least twice the number of facilities inspected during the previous year. As shown in the figure below, FDA is not currently keeping pace with the FSMA mandate. FDA officials told GAO that they do not plan to meet the FSMA mandate because of funding, and they question the usefulness of conducting that many inspections. However, FDA has not conducted an analysis to determine whether the number of inspections in the FSMA mandate or the lower number of inspections it is conducting is sufficient to ensure comparable safety of imported and domestic food. Without such an analysis, FDA is not in a position to know what is a sufficient number of foreign inspections and, if appropriate, request a change in the mandate.
FDA foreign offices cite their contributions to the safety of imported food, but the agency's performance measures do not fully capture these contributions. GAO recommended in 2010 that FDA develop performance measures that can be used to demonstrate the offices' contributions to imported food safety. This recommendation remains valid. FDA has initiated a review to determine how to better reflect the value of the foreign offices in the agency-wide performance systems. Until the offices' contributions are captured, FDA will have less information to effectively measure their progress toward meeting agency goals.
FDA has taken some steps to address recruitment challenges since GAO last reported, but it still does not have a strategic workforce plan. In 2010, GAO recommended that FDA develop such a plan for the foreign offices to help ensure that it recruits and retains staff with the necessary experience and skills. GAO continues to believe that such a plan for the foreign offices is critical to FDA's ability to address staffing challenges, especially since 44 percent of foreign office positions were vacant as of October 2014.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that FDA complete an analysis to determine the annual number of foreign food inspections that is sufficient to ensure comparable safety of imported and domestic food. FDA agreed with GAO's recommendation.