Risk-based approach to optimise US food safety

Using such an approach would help FDA to more efficiently and appropriately direct its resources and optimise its chances of discovering problems before they become widespread outbreaks, the committee that wrote the report said in a news release.

The report guides FDA in developing a risk-based model. The document also outlines several steps the agency should take to improve efficiency, such as increasing coordination with state and other federal agencies that share responsibility for protecting the nation's food supply.

FDA monitors some 80% of the nation's food supply, including seafood, dairy products, and fruits and vegetables. USDA, meanwhile, is responsible for meat, poultry, and egg products. State and local agencies share in conducting food production plant inspections, surveillance, and investigations of outbreaks. Recent outbreaks of foodborne illness led to a congressional request for a review of gaps in FDA's food safety system.

FDA has been criticised for not proactively monitoring and inspecting food suppliers and distributors. However, the report notes that the agency lacks resources; it is responsible for more than 150,000 food facilities, more than one million restaurants and other retail food establishments, and more than two million farms, as well as millions of tonnes of imports.

Among other recommendations, the report also suggests that the federal government should establish a centralised food safety data centre to collect information and conduct rapid assessments of food safety risks and appropriate policy interventions. This centre would expand capacity and reduce interagency competition for resources, the committee said.