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Food Safety Policy, Science, and Risk Assessment Strengthening the Connection: Workshop Proceedings (2001) / Chapter Skim
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Other Factors Influencing the Development of Food Safety Policy
Pages 18-24

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From page 18...
... Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture The Codex Alimentanus Commission is an intergovernmental body, consisting presently of 165 member states, concerned with protecting the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in international food trade through the development of the Codex Alimentanus. The Codex Alimentarius, or food code, is an international agreed set of food standards, recommendations, and guidelines for consumers, food producers and processors, national food control agencies, and the international food trade.
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From page 19...
... Examples of food safety problems that have been successfully accessed by this regulatory paradigm include the application of low acid canned food regulations to control botulism; fermentation to preserve cheese, sausage, and yogurt; and the creation of water quality standards for shellfish growing waters to control shellfish-associated typhoid fever. However, in many situations, risks are not clearly defined, traditional food safety approaches and food technologies poorly address contemporary hazards, and public confidence in new
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From page 20...
... Vice President for Food Safety Programs, National Fount Processors Association It seems to some that the integration of scientific information with the relatively new discipline of risk assessment to inform food safety policy decisions is being done without full consideration of the impact of the potential policy alternatives on business. Worse, in cases where scientific knowledge is insufficient for conducting risk assessments or economic analyses, new food safety challenges are often met with a strong regulatory response (such as establishing a politically popular but ultimately self-limiting "zero tolerance".
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From page 21...
... With the recent movement toward control programs such as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) , in conjunction with on-going industry activities, the question arises: Should food safety issues continue to be addressed only through the existing paradigm of regulation, or is it time to consider a new framework that expands on the roles and responsibilities of industry?
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From page 22...
... As the number of recognized food safety hazards and the demands on regulatory agencies increases, it may be time to consider a new food safety paradigm a paradigm that recognizes and expands upon indus~y's unique roles, knowledge, and resources. This paradigm should include a strong component of risk communications as well as the costs to the individual in addressing problems.
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From page 23...
... In food safety this means that, even with the best quantitative analysis, it still must be decided how much is too much and how many tax dollars can be spent. In general, three main areas demonstrate the countervailing pressures that Congress faces when trying to link science and food safety policy: the pressure to demonstrate results from food safety programs, the need for enhanced harmonization and coordination of food safety activities,
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From page 24...
... Another area challenging Congress is determining how to better coordinate food safety activities across the different federal agencies and identify the necessary changes in existing food safety statutes. Possible solutions thus far include establishment of a unified budget authority, creation of a single food safety agency, and/or conception of an integrated process for food safety programs.
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Key Terms

  • codex alimentarius
  • safety policy
  • food industry
  • safety activities
  • safety programs

  • food trade
  • acceptable level
  • safety hazards
  • alimentarius commission
  • international food

  • food supply
  • food standards
  • risk assessments
  • food service
  • countervailing pressures

  • fair practices
  • hazard analysis
  • factors beyond
  • public confidence
  • national food

  • beyond science
  • safety debates
  • recent efforts
  • legitimate factors
  • combined efforts

  • reform proposals
  • regulatory paradigm
  • analysis critical
  • critical control
  • risk communication


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