FSIS, FDA, and State Agency Food Safety Expenditures Total Nearly $1.3 Billion

FSIS was responsible for food safety expenditures of $678 million in fiscal year 1998 and $712 million in fiscal year 1999, or about 55 percent of the nearly $1.3 billion fiscal year 1999 federal and state expenditures. The federal agencies’ expenditures reflect the regulatory approaches or inspection frequencies contained in the laws under which they operate. States Report Expenditures of About $300 Million Annually for Food Safety

State agriculture and health departments reported expenditures of about $292 million in fiscal year 1998 and $301 million in fiscal year 1999. Regarding FSIS and FDA, we obtained appropriations documentation showing the amount of funding provided to each agency. The Office of Deputy accounted for about 20 percent of total office expenditures. Appendix VII: Comments from the Food and Drug Administration

	GAO’s Comments

1.
What GAO Found

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and the state agriculture and health departments spent about $1.3 billion in fiscal year 1999. FSIS and FDA spent about $1 billion, and the states reported spending about $300 million. The amounts and proportions of food safety expenditures for fiscal year 1998 were similar. Regarding the $1 billion in federal funds spent in fiscal year 1999, FSIS spent about 70 percent, overseeing about 20 percent of federally regulated foods; FDA spent about 30 percent, overseeing about 80 percent of federally regulated foods. These outlays reflect the regulatory approaches or inspection frequencies contained in the laws under which each agency operates.