Stronger Food Quality Assurance: Reinvention Goal Status Report

Food and Drug Administration Reinvention Goal:

Stronger Food Quality Assurance

Status Report: August 2000

Initial Goal Statement: (December, 1997)

By the year 2000, assure improved quality of the American food supply, through a collaborative system encompassing government and private sector stakeholders.* In the seafood industry, two-thirds of the processors will be operating under HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) quality control systems. HACCP is a newly instituted, industry-based monitoring system, and represents one element in the President's multi-strategy Food Safety Initiative. FDA will be working closely with USDA, EPA and the Center for Disease Control to implement this initiative.

Current Goal Statement:

By the end of FY 2000, assure improved quality of the American food supply, through a collaborative system encompassing government and private sector stakeholders.* Eighty percent of the domestic seafood industry will be operating a system of preventive controls for safety as evidenced by functioning HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) plans. HACCP is a newly instituted, industry-based monitoring system, and represents one element in the President's multi-strategy Food Safety Initiative. FDA will be working closely with USDA, EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement this initiative.

* Assumes funding of the Food Safety Initiative through 2000.

Date of Revision:

The FY 2000 Performance Plan for Food Safety, revised in May 1998

Forecast Completion Date:

There will be an ongoing need to conduct inspections to ensure that the seafood industry maintains effective HACCP quality control systems.

Status:

In the first round of inspections of approximately 4,100 domestic seafood processors, approximately 1,200 firms achieved full compliance with the regulation. In FY 99, although fewer than 50% of these processors met all the criteria for operating a functioning HACCP system, only 4% of the firms inspected warranted regulatory action due to problems that raise significant public health concerns. FDA's implementation of HACCP in the domestic seafood industry has resulted in increased awareness, compliance and application of food safety principles by the industry. In addition, HACCP implementation enabled FDA to ascertain that the vast majority of the domestic seafood industry uses HACCP principles in a way that minimizes serious public health threats. In evaluating the public health outcome of HACCP implementation in this industry, we feel that the Agency has met the intent of using HACCP as a strategy to prevent microbial contamination of seafood produced in the United States. As a consequence, beginning in FY 00, this goal was combined with the performance goal that relates to conformance rates resulting from the inspection of domestic food establishments (Performance Goal 9).

Location in FY 1999 Strategic Plan:

HHS Objective 5.2: Ensure food and drug safety by increasing the effectiveness of science-based regulation.

Location in FY 1999 Performance Plan:

Goal Statement: By 12/30/99 50 percent of the seafood industry will be operating preventive controls for safety as evidenced by functioning appropriate HACCP systems.

Location in FY 2000 Performance Plan:

Goal Statement: Eighty percent of the domestic seafood industry will be operating preventive controls for safety as evidenced by functioning Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems. (Page 39)

FDA/Office of Planning
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