USDA and FDA, within the  Department of Health and Human Services, have most of the regulatory  responsibilities for ensuring the safety of the nation’s food supply and  account for most federal food safety spending. These agencies spend resources on similar  food safety activities to ensure the safety of different food products. At jointly regulated facilities, both USDA and FDA inspectors verify that  HACCP systems are in place. 3.) About  one-third (24) of the agreements highlight the need to reduce duplication  and overlap or make efficient and effective use of resources. However, the  agencies cannot take full advantage of these agreements because they do  not have adequate mechanisms for tracking them and, in some cases, do  not effectively implement them. Stakeholders Disagree on the Significance of Overlapping Activities and on How to Improve the Federal Structure for Performing Food Safety Inspections and Related Activities

The stakeholders we contacted—selected industry associations, food- processing companies, consumer groups, and academic experts—disagree  on the extent to which overlaps exist and on how best to improve the  federal structure. Most of these stakeholders agree that the laws and  regulations governing the system should be modernized so that scientific  and technological advancements can be used to more effectively and  efficiently control current and emerging food safety hazards. However,  they differed about whether to consolidate food safety inspection and  related functions into a single federal agency. Other Countries Have Modified Laws and Consolidated Food Safety Functions

The division of responsibility among several government agencies  responsible for food safety is not unique to the United States. As reported in February 2005, we  examined the efforts of Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, the  Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to streamline and  consolidate their food safety systems. We found that, in each case, these  countries (1) modified existing laws to achieve the necessary  consolidation and (2) established a single agency to lead food safety  management or enforcement of food safety legislation. Food Safety: U.S. Needs a Single Agency to Administer a Unified, Risk- Based Inspection System. Food Safety: U.S.
Why GAO Did This Study

GAO has issued many reports documenting problems resulting from the fragmented nature of the federal food safety system--a system based on 30 primary laws. This testimony summarizes GAO's most recent work on the federal system for ensuring the safety of the U.S. food supply. It provides (1) an overview of food safety functions, (2) examples of overlapping and duplicative inspection and training activities, and (3) observations on efforts to better manage the system through interagency agreements. It also provides information on other countries' experiences with consolidation and the views of key stakeholders on possible consolidation in the United States.

What GAO Found

USDA and FDA have primary responsibility for overseeing the safety of the U.S. food supply; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service also play key roles. In carrying out their responsibilities, these agencies spend resources on a number of overlapping activities, particularly inspection/enforcement, training, research, and rulemaking, for both domestic and imported food. For example, both USDA and FDA conduct similar inspections at 1,451 dual jurisdiction establishments--facilities that produce foods regulated by both agencies. To better manage the fragmented federal system, these agencies have entered into at least 71 interagency agreements--about a third of them highlight the need to reduce duplication and overlap or make efficient and effective use of resources. The agencies do not take full advantage of these agreements because they do not have adequate mechanisms for tracking them and, in some cases, do not fully implement them. Selected industry associations, food companies, consumer groups, and academic experts disagree on the extent of overlap, on how best to improve the federal system, and on whether to consolidate food safety-related functions into a single agency. However, they agreed that laws and regulations should be modernized to more effectively and efficiently control food safety hazards. As GAO recently reported, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom also had fragmented systems. These countries took steps to consolidate food safety functions--each country modified its food safety laws and established a single agency to lead food safety management or enforcement of food safety legislation.