Agency Consolidation and the Recall Process

By Brian Giannini

Improving the food safety process has been a hot topic over the past few months. In addition to the FDA taking initial steps necessary to implement new food safety legislation,  the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has now released a report that calls for the consolidation of 15 federal food safety agencies. What exactly all this food safety reform means for the recall process remains to be seen. But as part of your recall planning, you should be studying both enacted and recommended food safety modifications and adapting your recall management policies accordingly.

The GAO report, titled “Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars and Enhance Revenue,” recommends trimming $200 million off the federal budget. The study claims that the “fragmented food safety system has caused inconsistent oversight, ineffective coordination, and inefficient uses of resources,” thanks to the number of agencies, offices, programs and initiatives that have duplicated activities or goals.

The Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) head the list of food industry regulators. But, as the GAO report points out, at least ten other federal agencies are involved in the food safety process in some way. This, of course, is not the first time that the recommendation to combine all agencies and offices with food safety responsibilities has been made. And if it happens, it could have major repercussions for the food industry.

With a variety of agencies and offices currently in charge of different aspects of the inspection and regulatory process, it can be difficult for manufacturers to remain in compliance, especially during a crisis. At the very least, creating a single food safety agency responsible only for inspecting food products could streamline an otherwise chaotic process for manufacturers, producers, and distributors.

Companies involved in the food production process should take the time now to study their recall preparedness plans and familiarize themselves with the GAO’s report. If there is going to be a change in current procedures, we can expect it to be in line, at least in part, with the report’s recommendations.

Producers should also begin to create in-house teams to discuss streamlining their own internal processes in order to minimize costs now and into the future. If and when the government asks for comment from the industry, companies should be prepared with a prompt response. A change like this could be felt across your company’s entire inspection and distribution process. You need to be prepared.

Stericycle ExpertRECALL™ is the industry leader in recall logistics and regulatory compliance for consumer product, pharmaceutical, medical device, juvenile product, and food and beverage recalls. ExpertRECALL’s professionals are experts in recall management who can help you streamline the entire product recall process.