According to the background materials of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (1September 24th, 998), the United States has the safest food supply in the world because its strict monitoring system covers the fields of food production and circulation. Food inspectors, microbiologists and other food scientists continuously monitor the food safety of public health institutions and federal departments and agencies. Local, state and national laws stipulate their respective responsibilities.
Characteristics of food safety system
1. The rights of law enforcement, legislative and judicial organs should be separated to ensure transparency, scientificity and public participation in decision-making. The US Constitution entrusts the government with the responsibilities of law enforcement, legislation and justice, and law enforcement, legislation and justice all assume responsibilities in the national food safety system. As a legislative body, Congress should make and promulgate laws to ensure food safety. Congress also authorizes law enforcement agencies to implement these laws and regulations, which can be implemented by formulating and implementing laws and regulations. When the implementation of laws and regulations causes disputes, the judicial organ shall make a fair ruling. American laws, decrees and presidential executive orders form a complete system to ensure openness and transparency to the public.
2. Based on strict, flexible and scientific federal and state laws. These federal and state laws stipulate that the food industry has a legal responsibility to produce safe food. The federal government, state and local governments bear complementary and independent responsibilities in managing food and food processing according to law.
3. Establish a food safety system according to the following guiding principles: only safe and healthy food can enter the market for sale; Food safety laws and regulations have scientific basis for decision-making; The government has the responsibility to enforce the law; Manufacturers, distributors, importers and others must abide by the above principles, otherwise they will bear the responsibility; The supervision process is transparent and open to the public.
4. Take prevention and science-based risk analysis as an important basis for American food safety policies and decisions. Prevention and science-based risk analysis have always been an important basis for food safety policies and decisions in the United States. Providing technical and scientific advice to regulators through the cooperation of experts from government agencies and consultation with other scientists; Solve technical problems, emergency problems and food safety incidents through cooperation with international organizations, such as CAC, WHO and FAO. Emphasize the early warning system of pathogenic bacteria in food; Authorizing the institution making laws and regulations to amend laws and standards according to the needs of technological development, knowledge updating and consumer protection. American food safety government agencies are responsible to the president, Congress, courts and the public.
Major food safety management agencies
There are 13 major food safety management agencies in the United States, all of which have their own functional scope and food safety responsibilities. These five typical institutions are:
(1) US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) US Department of Health (DHHS)
Scope of functions: all domestic and imported foods (but excluding meat and poultry), bottled water and wine with alcohol content below 7%.
Food safety responsibilities: implement the food safety law and manage domestic and imported foods except meat and poultry; By inspecting food processing plants and food warehouses, collecting and analyzing samples, we can check their physical, chemical and microbial pollution; Be responsible for summarizing and verifying the safety of food additives and pigment additives before the products go on the market; Summarize and verify the safety of veterinary drugs to animals used and people who eat animal-derived foods; Monitoring the safety of feed used as food production animals; Formulate American food codes, regulations, guidelines and instructions, and cooperate with States to apply these codes, regulations, guidelines and instructions to manage milk, shellfish and retail food factories, such as restaurants and grocery stores; Modern Codex Alimentarius can be used as a reference for retailers, nursing homes and other institutions to prepare food and prevent food-borne diseases. Establish good food processing operation procedures and other production standards, such as factory hygiene, packaging requirements, hazard analysis and critical control point plan; Cooperate with foreign governments to ensure the safety of imported food; Require processors to recall unsafe food, supervise these recalls and take corresponding law enforcement actions; Carry out food safety research; Training on safe handling procedures for industrial and consumer food.
(2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Scope of function: all foods.
Food safety responsibilities: investigate the outbreak of food-borne diseases; Maintain the national food-borne disease investigation system; Design, take quick action and report food-borne infections electronically; Cooperate with other institutions to monitor the speed and trend of food-borne disease outbreaks; Develop techniques for rapid detection of pathogenic bacteria, formulate public health policies and prevent food-borne diseases; Conduct research to help prevent food-borne diseases; Train local and state food safety personnel.
(3) Food Safety Inspection Bureau (FSIS) of USDA.
Scope of functions: domestic and imported meat, poultry and related products, such as stews, pizzas, frozen foods and processed egg products (generally liquid, frozen and dried pasteurized egg products).
Food safety responsibilities: implement the food safety law and manage domestic and imported meat and poultry products; Inspection of animals used as food before and after slaughter; Inspection of meat and poultry slaughtering plants and meat and poultry processing plants; Cooperate with the Marketing Bureau (AMS) of USDA to monitor and inspect the processed egg products; Collect and analyze food samples, monitor and test microbial and chemical pollutants, infectious diseases and toxins; Establish production standards for the use of food additives and other food ingredients in the preparation, packaging of meat, poultry products, thermal processing and other treatments; Establish factory hygiene standards to ensure that all foreign meat and poultry processing imported into the United States meets American standards; Meat and poultry processors voluntarily recall unsafe products they process; Support the safety research of meat and poultry processed food; Educate the industry and consumers about safe food handling procedures.
(4) United States Environmental Protection Agency
Function scope: drinking water, food made of plants, seafood, meat and poultry.
Food safety responsibility: establish safe drinking water standards; Manage toxic substances and wastes to prevent them from entering the environment and food chain; Help countries monitor the quality of drinking water and explore ways to prevent drinking water pollution; Determine the safety of new pesticides, establish the limit level of pesticide residues in food, and issue guidelines for the safe use of pesticides.
(5) State and local governments-offices of local and state governments.
Scope of functions: all foods within the jurisdiction.
Food safety responsibility: cooperate with FDA and other federal agencies to implement safety standards for fish, seafood, milk and other domestic foods; Inspect restaurants, grocery stores, other food retail stores, milk factories and milk processing factories, grain piles and food processing factories within their jurisdiction; It is forbidden to sell and distribute unsafe food in this state.
Implementation of food safety laws and regulations
The main food safety authorization laws in the United States are: Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Administration Act (FFD-CA), Federal Meat Inspection Act (FACA), Poultry Product Inspection Act (PPIA), Egg Product Inspection Act (EPI-A), Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) and Public Health Service Act (PHSA). The implementation features of these safety laws and regulations are as follows:
1. The three branches of the U.S. government-legislation, justice and law enforcement-have their own roles in ensuring food safety in the United States. Congress issued a decree to ensure the safety of food supply, thus establishing public protection at the national level. Law enforcement departments and agencies are responsible for implementing laws and regulations by promulgating them. These laws and regulations are published in the Federal Register (FR) and the electronic version of these laws and regulations is available to the public.
2. American food safety system is characterized by separation of rights and scientific decision-making, and decisions made by institutions authorized by American food safety law have legal effect when the court resolves disputes.
3. The laws and regulations on food safety promulgated by Congress give law enforcement agencies broad authorization, but at the same time restrain their law enforcement behavior. The sole purpose of laws and regulations is to promulgate specific laws and regulations, give specific guidance and take specific measures according to laws and regulations. When new technologies, new products and health risks must be emphasized, law enforcement agencies have enough flexibility to modify and supplement laws and regulations without having to formulate new laws and regulations.