USA - Study shows need for state, local food safety efforts

In the wake of a series of high-profile foodborne illness outbreaks, the focus has been on how to improve government food safety efforts at the federal level. A new report issued by the Department of Health Policy at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services recommends the development of an integrated national food safety system that not only reforms federal food safety efforts, but also strengthens state and local government roles in detection and inspection.

Among other recommendations, the report suggested the establishment of a network of regional, federally-funded foodborne outbreak response centers to ensure an integrated "systems" approach to investigations to prevent far-reaching foodborne illness outbreaks such as this winter’s peanut butter outbreak or last summer’s pepper problems.

Another recommendation called for the integration and modernization of manufacturing facility inspections, urging federal officials to dismantle legal, technical and bureaucratic barriers that prevent sharing of food safety data among federal, state and local agencies.