Food Safety Outlook…

FOOD SAFETY & PROTECTION

• THE CURRENT FRAMEWORK OF THE U.S. FOOD SAFETY & PROTECTION SYSTEM

• OTHER GROUPS & ORGANIZATIONS WITH INTEREST AND THEIR POSITIONS

• LEGISLATION AND OTHER INITIATIVES

FOOD SAFETY & PROTECTIONCurrent framework of the U.S. food safety & protection system –15 federal agencies collectively administer more than 30 laws related to food safety & protection -

The USDA/Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) & the HHS/Food & Drug Administration (FDA) are the two major agencies

FSIS – meat, poultry and processed egg products

FDA – all other foods except those covered by other agencies Centers for Disease Control – monitoring, investigating, foodborne

disease to determine causes and controls; National Marine Fisheries Service – inspection & grading for marketing

and quality of domestic and imported seafood; Dept. of Homeland Security – border inspection; preparedness for and

response to major disease outbreak or other disaster affecting agricultural infrastructure;

Others……….

FSIS AND FDA STRUCTURED AND OPERATED DIFFERENTLY

FSIS• Establishes safe food requirements;

• Directly employs 9400 staff, 8000 of whom are in approx. 6300 U.S. plants;

• Assesses safety of processing plants and approves such plants for operation;

• Inspectors on-site to inspect during plant operation;

• Responds to specific complaints of food borne illness.

FDA• Establishes safe food requirements;

• Cooperates with 400 state agencies to conduct intermittent inspections of food establishments;

• Conducts unannounced inspections of food establishments (avg. one per five yrs.);

• Responds to specific complaints of food borne illness;

DOMESTIC PROGRAMS

FSIS AND FDA STRUCTURED AND OPERATED DIFFERENTLY

FSIS• Safe food requirements the same for

imported products as U.S. production;

• Determine if exporting country’s food safety system is equivalent to U.S. system; if so it’s approved for export;

• Foreign processing plants exporting to the U.S. are inspected routinely and approved/disapproved for export;

• Entry-point inspections are conducted on imports; if inspection is passed, product is allowed entry into the U.S.;

• Responds to specific complaints of food borne illness.

FDA• Safe food requirements the same for

imported products as U.S. production;

• Cargo manifests are evaluated by DHS to determine if product detention is warranted;

• Based on DHS evaluation cargo is either detained for inspection by FDA or released;

• Random inspection of cargo may be undertaken by FDA;

• Responds to specific complaints of food borne illness.

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

U.S. Food Imports

Source: AFBF estimates from USDA data

Share of U.S. Consumption from Imports

Source: USDA/ERS

Who’s involved

Grocery Manufacturers Association“Four Pillars” document for import safety – September 2007

Coalition of retailers, manufacturers, processors, distributors, producer groups – October 2007

AFBF participates

Drafting legislation – want Congress to act this year

Who’s involved

Producer and Agribusiness GroupAFBF organized Fall 2007

Livestock – pork, sheep, milk, turkey, chicken, eggs, processors (AMI and NMA)

Fruits and Veggies – Western Growers, United Fresh, US Apple

Others – oilseed processors, rice, millers, pet food, animal health, feed and grain groups

Draft legislative proposal, to use if necessary

Congressional Interest

U.S. Senate‐ Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee –

Chairman Kennedy (MA)‐ Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee –

Chairman Harkin (IA)‐ Leadership – Majority Whip Durbin (IL)

U.S. House of Representatives‐ Energy and Commerce Committee – Chairman Waxman

(CA)‐ Health Subcommittee – Chairman Pallone (NJ)‐ Oversight Subcommittee – Chairman Stupak (MI)‐ Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee – Chairwoman

DeLauro (CT)

What’s Happening

30 bills introduced last Congress:• HR 3610, Food and Drug Import Safety Act

(Dingell)

• FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (Durbin)

• Consumer legislation (Pallone, DeLauro)

• FDA Food Protection Plan (Senate HELP Committee)

• HR 1148/S 654, Safe Food Act - single food safety agency

Hill reaction to . . .

• Recalls

• FY2010 Budget/Appropriations

AFBF Actions

Letters to Hill/AdministrationH.R. 3610, Single Food Safety Agency, Funding

Coalition Efforts GMA and Ag

Highlight food safety & protection issue at membership meetings

LEAFY GREENS MARKETING AGREEMENT

• Voluntary marketing agreement (MA)

• California and Arizona already have agreements

in place

• Industry requests MA, USDA oversees process

with public input