Many outbreaks of foodborne illness cross geographic or jurisdictional lines,
requiring close inter-agency cooperation. FORC-G, the Foodborne Outbreak
Response Coordinating Group, brings together federal, state, and local
agencies to develop a comprehensive, coordinated, national foodborne illness
outbreak response system.
Specifically, FORC-G will
* increase coordination and communication among these agencies and
organizations;
* help guide the efficient use of resources and expertise during an
emergency;
* and better prepare the United States to meet new and emerging
threats to the food supply.
FORC-G is co-chaired by the Department of Agriculture's Under Secretary for
Food Safety and the Department of Health and Human Services' Assistant
Secretary for Health. Other FORC-G members include representatives of the
* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
* Food and Drug Administration;
* Food Safety and Inspection Service;
* Environmental Protection Agency;
* Association of Food and Drug Officials;
* National Association of City and County Health Officials;
* Association of State and Territorial Public Health Laboratory Directors;
* Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists; and
* National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.
In January, 1997, President Clinton directed the Secretary of Agriculture, the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency to identify specific steps to improve the
safety of the food supply. Their May 1997 report to the President recommended
the creation of FORC-G.
#
May 22, 1998
Clinton-Gore Administration Accomplishments in Food Safety
October, 1997. President announces new initiative to enhance FDA oversight over imported foods
and develop guidance on good agricultural and manufacturing practices for fruits and vegetables.
October, 1997. Administration announces public-private partnership to promote food safety
education, that includes the "Fight BAC" campaign .
May, 1997. President announces comprehensive new initiative to improve the safety of the nation's
food supply -- "Food Safety from Farm to Table"--detailing a $43 million food safety initiative
program, including measures to improve surveillance, outbreak response, education, and research.
January, 1997. President announces new Early-Warning System to gather critical scientific data to
help stop food-borne disease outbreaks quickly and to improve prevention systems.
January, 1997. Administration requires generic E.coli testing for all meat and poultry slaughter
plants and Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures.
August, 1996. President signs Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996. The law requires drinking water
systems to protect against dangerous contaminants like crytosporidium, and gives people the right to
know about contaminants in their tap water.
August, 1996. President signs Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, which streamlines regulation of
pesticides by FDA and EPA and puts important new public-health protections in place, especially for
children.
July, 1996. President announces new regulations that modernize the nation's meat and poultry
inspection system for the first time in 90 years. The HACCP systems approach emphasizes
science-based controls and microbiological testing directly targeted at E. coli O157:H7 and
Salmonella.
December, 1995. Administration issues new rules to ensure the safety of seafood using the HACCP
regulatory approach.
October, 1994. Administration declares E. coli O157:H7 an adulterant in raw ground beef and
initiates a nationwide sampling program in federally inspected plants and retail stores that process
ground beef.
March, 1994. Administration requires safe handling and cooking labels on raw meat and poultry
products.
This is a mirror of the page at HTTP://www.usda.gov:80/news/releases/1998/05/fsis