Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have released a new report :  Keeping America’s Food Safe-  A Blueprint for Fixing the Food Safety System at the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, which examines problems with the current system and proposes ways to improve the food safety functions to better protect the nation’s food supply.

“Our food safety system is plagued with problems, and it’s leading to millions of Americans becoming needlessly sick each year,” said Jeff Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH. “The system is outdated and unable to effectively deal with today’s threats. Its current structure actually prevents the kind of coordinated, focused effort that Americans need more than ever and have a right to expect.”

The report calls for the immediate consolidation of food safety leadership within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and ultimately the creation of a separate Food Safety Administration within HHS.

Currently, FDA  does not have line authority over all food safety functions. A speedy effort by the Obama administration to consolidate leadership within FDA, followed by Congressional action to create a separate Food Safety Administration, would both ensure immediate progress on food safety and create a platform for long-term success in reducing foodborne illness.