Food Safety: Experiences of Seven Countries in Consolidating Their Food Safety Systems

摘要

The safety and quality of the U.S. food supply are governed by a complex system that is administered by 15 agencies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have primary responsibility for food safety. In consolidating their food safety systems, the seven countries we examined -Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom-varied in their approaches and the extent to which they consolidated. This report describes the approaches and challenges these countries faced in consolidating food safety functions, including the benefits and costs cited by government officials and other stakeholders.