The FSWG Has Taken Steps Designed to Improve Collaboration among Federal Agencies but Has Not Developed a Comprehensive Governmentwide Performance Plan for Food Safety

Creation of the FSWG by the President in March 2009 elevated food safety  as a national priority, demonstrated strong commitment and top  leadership support, and was designed to foster interagency collaboration  on this crosscutting issue. However, the FSWG has not developed a  governmentwide performance plan that provides a comprehensive picture  of the federal government’s food safety efforts. Nevertheless, through the FSWG, federal agencies have taken steps  designed to increase collaboration in some areas that cross regulatory  jurisdictions––in particular, improving produce safety, reducing  Salmonella contamination, and developing food safety performance  measures. When we added food safety oversight to  our high-risk list in 2007, we said that what remains to be done is to  develop a governmentwide performance plan for food safety that is  mission based, results oriented, and provides a cross-agency perspective. Officials from OMB, FDA, and USDA  told us the FSWG’s July 2009 “key findings” represent the governmentwide  plan for food safety. Our prior work has  identified results oriented goals and performance measures as standard  elements of performance plans. In addition, the key findings do  not include information about the resources that are needed to achieve the  FSWG’s goals. We and Others Have Identified Options to Reduce Fragmentation and Overlap in Food Safety Oversight, but They Have Not Been Analyzed in Detail

We, the National Academy of Sciences, the Produce Safety Project, and the  former President’s Council on Food Safety have identified options to  reduce fragmentation and overlap in food safety oversight in the form of  alternative organizational structures (see app. III), but a detailed analysis  of their advantages and disadvantages and the potential challenges that  could arise if they are implemented has yet to be conducted. In 2001, we  first suggested that Congress consider commissioning the National  Academy of Sciences or a blue ribbon panel to conduct a detailed analysis  of alternative organizational structures for food safety and reiterated the  suggestion over the years, most recently in the 2011 high-risk list update. Some of the alternative organizational structures that we and others have  identified include:    Single food safety agency. Food safety inspection agency. Data collection and risk analysis center. Coordination mechanism. We recognize that reorganizing federal food safety responsibilities would  be a complex process. We and other organizations have regularly paired proposals for alternative  food safety organizations with calls for comprehensive, unified, risk-based  food safety legislation. While the new food safety law strengthens a major part of  the food safety system and expands FDA’s oversight authority, it does not  apply to the federal food safety system as a whole or create a new risk- based food safety structure. However, without an annually updated governmentwide  performance plan for food safety that contains results-oriented goals and  performance measures and a discussion of strategies and resources used  by the agencies with food safety responsibilities, decision makers do not  have a comprehensive picture of the federal government’s performance on  this crosscutting issue. The performance  plan should include results-oriented goals and performance measures for  food safety oversight throughout the federal government, as well as a  discussion about strategies and resources. OMB declined to comment on  the draft report. USDA and Health and Human Services provided technical  comments, which we incorporated as appropriate. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

A new statutory requirement mandates that GAO identify programs,  agencies, offices, and initiatives with duplicative goals and activities  within departments and governmentwide. Under that mandate this review  examines: (1) steps, if any, that the Food Safety Working Group (FSWG)  has taken to increase collaboration among federal food safety agencies,  and (2) options we and others have identified to reduce fragmentation,  overlap, and potential duplication in food safety oversight. To complete our work we reviewed food safety reports and legislation,  and interviewed officials from the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the  Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Office of Management and  Budget (OMB).
Why GAO Did This Study

For more than a decade, GAO has reported on the fragmented nature of federal food safety oversight and how it results in inconsistent oversight, ineffective coordination, and inefficient use of resources. In 2007, GAO added this issue to its high-risk list. In March 2009, the President established the Food Safety Working Group (FSWG) to coordinate federal efforts and establish food safety goals to make food safer. Section 21 of Public Law 111-139 mandated that GAO identify programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives with duplicative goals and activities. This review examines: (1) steps, if any, that the FSWG has taken to increase collaboration among federal food safety agencies, and (2) options we and others have identified to reduce fragmentation, overlap, and potential duplication in food safety oversight. GAO reviewed information about the FSWG and alternative organizational structures for food safety, and conducted interviews.

What GAO Found

Creation of the FSWG elevated food safety as a national priority, demonstrated strong commitment and top leadership support, and was designed to foster interagency collaboration on this cross-cutting issue. The FSWG includes officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and other federal agencies. Through the FSWG, federal agencies have taken steps designed to increase collaboration in some areas that cross regulatory jurisdictions--in particular, improving produce safety, reducing Salmonella contamination, and developing food safety performance measures. However, the FSWG has not developed a governmentwide performance plan for food safety that provides a comprehensive picture of the federal government's food safety efforts. When GAO added food safety oversight to its high-risk list in 2007, it said that what remains to be done is to develop a governmentwide performance plan for food safety that is mission based, results oriented, and provides a cross-agency perspective. Officials from OMB, FDA, and USDA told us that the FSWG's July 2009 "key findings" represent the governmentwide plan for food safety. However, most of the goals outlined in the key findings are not results oriented and do not include performance measures. Further, the FSWG has not provided information about the resources that are needed to achieve its goals. Our prior work has identified results oriented goals and performance measures and a discussion of strategies and resources as standard elements of performance plans. GAO and other organizations have identified options to reduce fragmentation and overlap in food safety oversight in the form of alternative organizational structures, but a detailed analysis of their advantages, disadvantages, and potential implementation challenges has yet to be conducted. GAO has suggested that Congress consider commissioning the National Academy of Sciences or a blue ribbon panel to conduct a detailed analysis of alternative organizational structures for food safety. Some of the alternative organizational structures include a single food safety agency, a food safety inspection agency, a data collection and risk analysis center, and a coordination mechanism led by a central chair. GAO recognizes that reorganizing federal food safety responsibilities would be a complex process that could have short-term disruptions and transition costs. GAO and other organizations have regularly paired proposals for alternative food safety organizations with calls for comprehensive, unified, risk-based food safety legislation. New food safety legislation that was signed into law in January 2011 strengthens a major part of the food safety system; however, it does not apply to the federal food safety system as a whole or create a new risk-based food safety structure.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that the Director of OMB, in consultation with the federal food safety agencies, develop a governmentwide performance plan for food safety that includes results oriented goals and performance measures for food safety oversight and a discussion about strategies and resources. OMB declined to comment on a draft of this report. USDA and Health and Human Services provided technical comments.