HIMP’s Strength is Food Safety: GAO Report
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today,
the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
issued a report that covers the U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposal to modernize
inspection. The audit was conducted to
review the three HACCP-Based Inspection Model
Project (HIMP) pilots which form, at least in
part, the support for the proposed rule to
modernize
inspection.
As well as
outlining some concerns, the GAO identified
several strengths to the proposal, including
plants being given responsibility and
flexibility to ensure food safety and quality,
FSIS being able to focus on food safety, and
plants creating jobs and increasing
production.
“This
proposal is about assuring food safety,” said
NAMA CEO Barry Carpenter. “Giving plants
flexibility and allowing USDA inspectors to
focus on food safety activities, has clear and
demonstrable
benefits.”
GAO did
recommend that USDA collect and analyze more
data to make sure the pilot projects succeed
and also that it clearly disclose its data to
the public. USDA concurred, and announced it
would present an updated analyses when it
issues its final rule and that it will do so in
a manner that facilitates public understanding
of the information used to support the
rulemaking.
The GAO
audit report is available at the link
below.

