Media reports in the US have made worrying reading for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with newly-published figures claiming that the group is not hitting targets with regards to auditing food inspections in certain states.
The figures, published by USA Today, claimed that the FDA only managed to audit at least 7 per cent of food safety inspections (its target) in 17 of the 39 states that it is paid to monitor.
Despite the shortfall, however, the figures represent a marked improvement on previous year – in 2006/07 the FDA failed to meet the 7 per cent target in 21 of 37 states, and there were no audits at all in eight states. Moreover, in 1998 the FDA carried out no audits at all in 21 of 38 states.
The USA Today report attributed the failed targets to foodborne illness outbreaks diverting staff away from the auditing process.
Inspections have come under intense scrutiny in the US this year following the latest salmonella outbreak, this time linked to peanuts from a Peanut Corporation of America facility in Georgia.
No comments yet