Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius have commended federal food safety agencies for their accomplishments supporting the charge of President Obama’s Food Safety Working Group, which advises the President on how to upgrade the U.S. food safety system for the 21st century. The Food Safety Working Group, chaired by Vilsack and Sebelius, recommended a public health-focused approach to food safety based on three core principles: prioritizing prevention; strengthening inspection and enforcement; and improving response and recovery.
"I’m proud of the significant progress that has been made to protect public health since the Food Safety Working Group announced its key findings last July," said Vilsack. "There is no more basic role for government than ensuring safe food and completing the Food Safety Working Group’s executive actions is an important step in strengthening the U.S. food safety system."
"HHS and USDA are focusing on public health as we work to improve the safety of our food supply, said Sebelius. "Our farm-to-table prevention approach acknowledges the complexity and diversity of all the people and organizations involved in food production."
The following are a few of the highlights of the progress and accomplishments USDA and HHS have achieved during the year:
Prioritizing Prevention
Salmonella in poultry and eggs: USDA issued revised draft standards for the presence of Salmonella to reduce consumers’ exposure to this pathogen in raw poultry products. HHS issued a rule to control Salmonella contamination of eggs during production, storage, and transportation, and by July 9, 2010, approximately 82 percent of shell eggs will be covered under the new requirements.
Produce safety: On July 31, 2009, HHS issued commodity-specific draft guidance documents to industry on agricultural practices to reduce the risk of microbial contamination in the production and distribution of tomatoes, melons and leafy greens and is developing a proposed produce safety rule.
E. coli O157:H7 in beef products: USDA began a new verification testing program for beef bench trim and issued draft guidelines on methods for controlling E. coli O157:H7 on the farm, before cattle come to slaughter.
Laboratory diagnosis of E. coli: In October 2009, HHS published new guidance for clinical laboratories to improve diagnosis and surveillance for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections.
Campylobacter: USDA proposed the first ever standards for Campylobacter in poultry.
Measuring progress on food safety: Knowing what food safety interventions are working helps in designing future preventive efforts. HHS and USDA are collaborating to address the methodological and data challenges involved in the development of feasible and effective food safety metrics, with a joint meeting scheduled for July 21 in Chicago.
Strengthening Inspection and Enforcement
Reportable Food Registry: HHS launched the Reportable Food Registry (RFR), an electronic portal for industry and public health officials to report when there is reasonable probability that a food item will cause serious adverse health consequences.
Environmental assessments: USDA and HHS are developing a training program for environmental health specialists on how to properly conduct an environmental assessment during a foodborne outbreak investigation, leading to quicker and more definitive results.
Data analysis: USDA is preparing to launch a dramatically improved surveillance and data collection and analysis system in the fall. The Public Health Information System (PHIS) will help USDA/FSIS respond more rapidly to current and potential threats in the food safety system, which is crucial to preventing contamination, recalls and, ultimately, foodborne illnesses.
