How a Government Shutdown Affects Your Food Safety

A government shutdown looms on today’s horizon

January 19, 2018. There are many federal agencies working for the American people on food safety. Three examples are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is responsible for monitoring public health, identifying outbreaks, and investigating the source of outbreaks. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) publishes and enforces laws and guidance for ingredient suppliers and food manufacturers and inspects food companies for compliance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has parallel duties in food safety to FDA. USDA has jurisdiction over animal products, and FDA gets all the other foods.

CDC. The US is currently in an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes from potentially from Romaine lettuce. CDC is working closely with Canada, where the outbreak was first identified. There have been deaths. South Africa is currently investigating the largest outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes the world has ever seen. When last I saw, there have been 67 deaths. CDC personnel are certainly in communication with health officials in South Africa to monitor the outbreak and collaborate with food safety officials. Then there is flu season. CDC is responsible for monitoring the cases and number of deaths to track the impact of the flu. With a government shutdown, these non-essential duties and communication may cease, putting millions of Americans in harm.

FDA. FSMA has six laws currently under enforcement. Both the food industry and FDA have been ramping up compliance to the laws. FDA inspectors have been trained and are out doing FSMA inspections. FDA inspections where a user fee is levied will continue. FDA posts recalls daily. With a government shutdown, will recalls be deemed essential duties for the FDA? Will the recalls be announced? Will FDA arrive at the food factory to investigate? Will FDA meetings on recalls be postponed?

USDA. One significant difference between FDA and USDA is that animal slaughter, with subsequent meat packing operations, has mandatory supervision by a USDA inspector. Without the USDA inspector, there is no animal slaughter.

For more details on the affect of a shutdown, go to this PBS article.

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Kathy Knutson, Ph.D.
Kathy Knutson Food Safety Consulting

Dr. Kathy Knutson works nationwide with food manufacturers on recall investigations, problem-solving, training, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliance. After being trained in 2016 as a Lead Instructor with the FDA-recognized curriculum for Preventive Controls Qualified Individuals, she delivered over 20 workshops to industry. With over 35 years in microbiology and 15 years of full-time teaching, Dr. Knutson is passionate about training and is an effective communicator at all levels in an organization. She has taught and consulted with companies on laboratory methods, interpretation of lab results, quality assurance, sanitation, environmental monitoring, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). As a life-long learner, Dr. Knutson is trained in prevention of intentional adulteration, a topic on the horizon for the food industry. Dr. Knutson is a contributing author at CannabisIndustryJournal.com. Dr. Knutson writes a food safety blog and contributes expert services to manufacturers through connectfood.com, an online site for writing HACCP and food safety plans. When Dr. Knutson is not traveling, she works from home in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where she lives with her husband, two sons, and an adorable Bernedoodle. Learn more about her at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyknutsonphd