GAO Lists Food Safety System as ?Critically Flawed?

February 7, 2007 — 

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) added the U.S. food safety system to its list of critically flawed government programs.

The list informs lawmakers and their staffs on difficulties associated with the federal bureaucracy. Lisa Shames, GAO director of food and agriculture issues, referring to the U.S. food safety system is quoted as saying, "it is a collection of 15 agencies trying to administer some 30 laws, and that results in inefficient use of resources, inconsistent oversight, and overlap and duplication."

Bush administration officials disputed the conclusion that the system is broken, pointing to CDC research showing a decline in food-borne illness since the late 1990s. There has been discussion about combining the responsibility for food safety into a single government agency that would regulate and inspect food from the farm to the table. Legislation may be introduced in this congress to address this issue.