FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Outlines 1999 Priorities

Following is an outline of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) 1999 Program Priorities document, constituting the Center's priority workplan for 1999. The plan incorporates stakeholder input and implements CFSAN-related priorities of the new FDA Commissioner. The plan will be reviewed every four months and updated, as necessary.

At the top of the list is the Food Safety Initiative (FSI), which forms the centerpiece of the workplan. CFSAN plans to expand implementation efforts to target the highest risk areas of the food supply. Specific goals for 1999 include:

• Imports: Enhance follow-up and containment of foodborne disease outbreaks associated with imported food; increase surveillance of imported food overseas and at the border.
• HACCP: Continue to implement seafood HACCP; publish a final rule regarding HACCP for fruit and vegetable juices.
• Produce: Promote use of the Good Agriculture Practices/Good Manufacturing Practices guidance for produce; develop strategy to ensure safe production of sprouts.
• Additional Prevention Efforts: Implement accelerated plan for pathogen reduction in citrus juices; publish proposed rule for shell eggs; promote adoption of the Food Code by States.
• Domestic Surveillance and Outbreak Response: Continued enhancement of coordination between Federal, state and local agencies on follow-up and containment of interstate foodborne disease outbreaks.
• Research: Implement and update food safety research as outlined in the Center's Three-Year Plan; consult with USDA on additional research needs; support the food safety program and support development of the Joint Institute for Food Safety Research.
• Risk Assessment: Implement and update risk assessment research as outlined in the Center's Three-Year Plan; conduct specific risk assessments of Listeria in foods, Vibrio parahaemolyticus in molluscan shellfish, and methylmercury in seafood.
• Education: Educate consumers and retail handlers about safety precautions for shell eggs; target general food safety education efforts to school children and high risk populations.

The remainder of priorities include:

II. Major Program Areas

• Premarket Review of Food Ingredients

• Nutrition, Health Claims and Labeling

• Dietary Supplements

• Chemical and Other Contaminants

• Cosmetics

III. Cross-Cutting Areas

• Science Base

• Federal-State-Local International

• Human Resources

To review the complete document, visit CFSAN's website at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov and click "CFSAN 1999 Program Priorities".