Enhancing food safety: The role of the food and drug administration

Recent food-related outbreaks and recalls illustrate the challenges in preventing foodborne illness and have generated heightened attention on the nation's food safety oversight system. The ability of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discover potential threats to food safety and prevent outbreaks are hampered by impediments to efficient use of its limited resources. An ad-hoc committee of the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council responded to a congressional request to examine the gaps in public health protection and to identify opportunities for improvement in the food safety system under the purview of the FDA. The committee evaluated the current FDA food safety program by looking at its strengths and weaknesses, factors that may limit its achievement, and necessary enhancements. Concrete recommendations include adopting a risk-based process to prioritize efforts and interventions, including prioritizing funding for communication, surveillance and research; improving FDA's scientific and information technology infrastructure for research and data utilization; enhancing the efficiency of inspection of food facilities; harmonizing and integrating food safety programs at the federal, state, and local levels; modernizing legislation; and implementing organizational changes in the national food safety system such as the establishment of a centralized, risk-based analysis and data management center. The report's findings and recommendations provide a roadmap for the FDA to become more efficient and effective in carrying out its food safety mission.