This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Contents: (1) Intro.: Food Safety Incidents; Existing Food Safety Legal and Regulatory Landscape; Admin. Views; Congressional Response; Legislative Overview; Overview of Major Provisions; (2) Selected Issues: Registration; Record-Keeping; Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls; Performance Standards; On-Farm Safety Standards; Safety of Produce; Mitigating Effects on Small Bus. and Farming Operations; Targeting of Inspections; Use of Third Parties for Imports and for Lab. Accreditation; Mandatory Recall Authority; Notification of Contaminated Products, and Product Tracing; Foodborne Illness Surveillance and Outbreak Response; Criminal Penalties; Food Imports; Bisphenol A; Paying for Food Safety with User Fees. Ill.

Numerous fed., state, and local agencies share responsibilities for regulating the safety of the U.S. food supply, which many experts say is among the safest in the world. Nevertheless, critics view this system as lacking the organization, regulatory tools, and resources to adequately combat foodborne illness -- as evidenced by a series of widely publicized food safety problems, incl. concerns about adulterated food and food ingredient imports, and illnesses linked to fresh produce, peanut products, and some meat and poultry products. Contents of this report: Background; The Agencies and Their Roles; FDA; Food Safety and Inspection Service; CDC, Nat. Marine Fisheries Service; EPA; Other Fed. Agencies; Congress. Committees. Illus. A print on demand pub.

In recent years, major outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, product recalls, and reports about unsafe food imports have caused some to question the adequacy of the U.S. food safety system. Stakeholders appear to agree that an optimal system should encompass a comprehensive, preventive approach to food safety, focusing on those foods and points in the food system that pose the greatest public health risks, starting at the point of production - that is, on farms and ranches. This report discusses differing opinions on this topic, as well as related legislation.

The U.S. food safety system is in crisis. Approx. 76 million Americans -- one in four -- are sickened by foodborne disease each year. Of these, an estimated 325,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die. This report discusses the top concerns about food safety that experts have identified and addresses the food safety functions within the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS). Contents: (1) Food Safety Programs at HHS: The Current Structure; (2) Current HHS Food Safety Functions Do Not Meet Today¿s Threats; (3) The Benefits of Aligning Food Safety Functions at HHS; (4) Background on Reform Efforts; (5) Recommendations: Making Food Safety a Priority at HHS; (6) A Staged Pathway to Comprehensive Food Safety Reform. Illus.

The upcoming 2009 transition marks the first wartime presidential transition in 40 years. The next admin. will fill thousands of positions across gov¿t.; there will be a number of new faces in Congress as well. Making these transitions as seamlessly as possible is pivotal to effectively and efficiently help accomplish the fed. govt¿s. many essential missions. The Presidential Transition Act specifically identifies GAO as a source of briefings and other materials to help inform presidential appointees of the major mgmt. issues, risks, and challenges they will face. This testimony provides an overview of GAO¿s objectives for assisting the 111th Congress and the next admin. in their all-important transition efforts. Charts and tables.

The next admin. will fill thousands of positions across gov¿t.; there will be a number of new faces in Congress as well. Making these transitions as seamlessly as possible is pivotal to effectively and efficiently help accomplish the fed. govt¿s. many essential missions. The Presidential Transition Act points to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) as a resource to incoming admin. The GAO is a source of briefings and other materials to help presidential appointees make the leap from campaigning to governing by informing them of the major mgmt. issues, risks, and challenges they will face. This testimony provides an overview of GAO¿s objectives for assisting the 111th Congress and the next admin. in their transition efforts.