Transcript US Food Safety System

U.S. Food Safety Policy
and the
U.S. Food Safety System
Craig Harris
Comparative Food Safety Systems Workshop
18 March 2005
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
policy
research
surveillance
regulation
enforcement
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
Food Safety Policy System
• Federal level
– USDHHS/PHS/FDA
– USDHHS/PHS/CDCP
– USDA/FSIS
– USDA/APHIS
– USDHS
U. S. National Academies of Science Press 1998
Food Safety Policy System
• Federal level
– USDHHS/PHS/FDA
– USDHHS/PHS/CDCP
– USDA/FSIS
– USDA/APHIS
– USDHS
• How many food safety agencies should
a nation-state have?
Food Safety Policy System
• Federal level
– USDHHS/PHS/FDA
– USDHHS/PHS/CDCP
– USDA/FSIS
– USDA/APHIS
– USDHS
• Publish the Food Code
Food Safety Policy System
• Federal level
– USDHHS/PHS/FDA
– USDHHS/PHS/CDCP
– USDA/FSIS
• Publish the Food Code
• Guided by Conference for Food Protection
Conference for Food Protection
• non-profit organization, originated in 1971,
by USDHHS/FDA and APHA
• partnership among regulators, industry,
academia, professional organizations and
consumers
• identify problems, formulate
recommendations, and develop and
implement practices that ensure food safety
• meet at least biennially to provide a forum
for working together to enhance the quality
of the food supply
Food Safety Policy System
• Federal level
– Publish the Food Code
– Guided by Conference for Food Protection
• Regulate food safety for meat and eggs
(USDA/FSIS) and fish (DHHS/PHS/FDA) in
interstate commerce
Food Safety Policy System
• Federal level
– Publish the Food Code
– Guided by Conference for Food Protection
• Regulate food safety for meat and eggs
(USDA/FSIS) and fish (DHHS/PHS/FDA) in
interstate commerce
• but . . . food safety is not one of the
constitutionally granted powers of the
federal government
Food Safety Policy System
• Federal level
– Publish the Food Code
– Guided by Conference for Food Protection
• Regulate food safety for meat and eggs
(USDA/FSIS) and fish (DHHS/PHS/FDA) in
interstate commerce
• Deal directly with Association of Food and
Drug Officials
Association of Food and Drug Officials
• The Vision – AFDO is an international leader
and trusted resource for building consensus
and promoting uniformity on public health and
consumer protection issues related to the
regulation of foods . . .
• The Mission - AFDO, established in 1896,
successfully fosters uniformity in the adoption
and enforcement of food . . . safety laws, rules,
and regulations.
• AFDO and its six Regional Affiliates provide
the mechanism and the forum where regional,
national, and international issues are deliberated and resolved uniformly to provide the best
public health and consumer protection in the
most expeditious and cost effective manner.
Food Safety Policy System
• Federal level
– Publish the Food Code
– Guided by Conference for Food Protection
• Regulate food safety for meat and eggs
(USDA/FSIS) and fish and anything else
(DHHS/PHS/FDA) in interstate commerce
• Deal directly with Association of Food and
Drug Officials
• Regulate food safety for food processing in
states, tribal lands, and territories
Food Safety Policy System
• Federal level
• Regulate food safety for meat and eggs
(USDA/FSIS) and fish and anything else
(DHHS/PHS/FDA) in interstate commerce
• Deal directly with Association of Food and
Drug Officials
• Regulate food safety for food processing in
states, tribal lands, and territories
• Delegate responsibility for food safety in
food service institutions to local level
Food Safety Policy System
• Federal level
• State, tribal and territorial level
• Local level
• What is the relationship between the causal
structure of foodborne illness, and the
regulatory structure of food safety policy?
policy
research
surveillance
regulation
enforcement
Food Safety Policy System
• Federal level
• State, tribal and territorial level
• Local level
• What is the relationship between the causal
structure of foodborne illness, and the
regulatory structure of food safety policy?
• What is the relationship between national
policy and local enforcement?
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
– World Health Organization
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
– World Health Organization
– Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
– World Health Organization
– Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations
– Codex Alimentarius Commission
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
– World Health Organization
– Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations
– Codex Alimentarius Commission
– World Trade Organization
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
– World Health Organization
– Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations
– Codex Alimentarius Commission
– World Trade Organization
• Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards Agrmt
WTO Agreement on Sanitary and
Phytosanitary Measures
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Science based
Least trade restricting
Non-discriminatory
Equivalence
International harmonization
Risk assessment
Transparency
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
• With 50% of U.S. food imported, what is
relevance of national food safety policy
structure?
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
• Increasing private sector action
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
• Increasing private sector action
– Setting food safety standards
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
• Increasing private sector action
– Setting food safety standards
– Third party certification
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
• Increasing private sector action
• To what extent does the food safety system
operate to produce food safety? For whom?
Food Safety Policy System
• Parallel to agrifood system
• Involves several levels
• Increasing international trade in all kinds of
foods implicates international agencies in
food safety policy
• Increasing private sector action
• To what extent does the food safety system
operate to produce food safety? For whom?
• How does the food safety system operate to
produce food safety?