Single Food Safety Agency Sought Legislation Would Consolidate Existing Programs
A group of lawmakers joined food-safety advocates and consumer groups Tuesday in calling for a single independent food safety agency that would consolidate programs scattered across a dozen government agencies.
“This nation’s food safety program doesn’t need a separate agency for each food group,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who plans to introduce the Safe Food Act before the Senate recesses this month.
“While we still have the safest food supply in the world, we can bring the various agencies together to eliminate the overlap, underlap and confusion that have at times characterized our food safety efforts.”
The legislation would consolidate food safety, inspection and labeling functions into a new independent agency called the Food Safety Administration. The agency would be funded by the combined budgets of the existing food inspection programs.
Twelve agencies currently monitor the U.S. food supply, with most responsibilities lodged with the Food and Drug Administration, the Agriculture Department, the Commerce Department and the Environmental Protection Agency.
xxxx CURRENT AGENCIES A look at the four main federal agencies involved in food safety and their budgets for fiscal 1998.
Agriculture Department Food Safety and Inspection Service has about 7,000 inspectors in every meat, poultry and egg products plant on a daily basis. Budget: $589 million.
Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and Center for Veterinary Medicine have about 1,100 inspectors to check some 95,000 regulated food plants. They inspect about 15,000 a year, according to FDA. Budget: $237.5 million combined.
Commerce Department National Marine Fisheries Service provides seafood processors with inspections for a fee on a voluntary basis. Budget: $14.6 million.
Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs sets levels for pesticides and other chemicals in food. Budget: Estimated $17.5 million. Associated Press