Safe Food Act of 1998

Summary: Safe Food Act of 1998 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) establish food safety research, education, and extension as a priority within the Department of Agriculture; and (2) designate a Food Safety Rapid Response Team within the Department. 
(Sec. 5) Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to emphasize food safety within the Fund for Rural America. 
(Sec. 6) Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to direct the Secretary to establish the National Food Safety Research, Education, and Extension Program to reduce the incidence of food borne illness.  Authorizes related contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements. 
(Sec. 7) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements for the development and commercialization of food safety technology.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Safe Food Act of 
1998''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Food safety research, education, and extension priority.
Sec. 4. Food Safety Rapid Response Team.
Sec. 5. Emphasis on food safety research in Fund for Rural America.
Sec. 6. National Food Safety Research, Education, and Extension 
                            Program.
Sec. 7. Development and commercialization of food safety technology.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) While the American food supply is among the safest in 
        the world, millions of Americans are stricken by illness every 
        year caused by food they consume.
            (2) An effective food safety strategy must be developed 
        that encompasses research, educational, and response efforts 
        along the entire farm-to-table spectrum and considers research 
        efforts on emerging food borne illness and related issues at 
        the Department of Agriculture and other Federal agencies.

SEC. 3. FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION PRIORITY.

    (a) Food Safety Priority.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall 
establish the identification and resolution of food safety issues as a 
priority for the research, education, and extension activities of the 
Department of Agriculture.
    (b) Multidisciplinary and Integrated Approach.--To the extent 
practicable, the Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct food safety 
research, education, and extension activities on a multidisciplinary 
and integrated basis.
    (c) Consumer Education.--The Secretary of Agriculture is encouraged 
to use the authority under section 3(g) of the Act of May 8, 1914 
(commonly known as the Smith-Lever Act) (7 U.S.C. 343(g)) to enter into 
cooperative agreements to carry out food safety consumer education 
programs.
    (d) Input.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary of 
Agriculture shall encourage communication among Federal agencies, 
educational institutions, and the private sector.

SEC. 4. FOOD SAFETY RAPID RESPONSE TEAM.

    (a) Designation and Composition.--The Secretary of Agriculture 
shall designate a Food Safety Rapid Response Team within the Department 
of Agriculture, to enable the Department to rapidly respond to food 
safety emergencies. The Secretary shall select the members of the Food 
Safety Rapid Response Team from personnel of the Department with 
relevant subject matter expertise. The Food Safety Rapid Response Team 
shall be under the direction of a coordinating officer, who is 
appointed by the Secretary and reports directly to the Secretary.
    (b) Duties.--The Food Safety Rapid Response Team shall review and 
evaluate the response of the Department of Agriculture to food-borne 
illness outbreaks and make recommendations to the Secretary of 
Agriculture regarding--
            (1) the more effective involvement of other Federal 
        agencies, State and local agencies, land-grant colleges and 
        universities, and other research institutions in the response 
        to a food safety emergency;
            (2) the rapid dissemination of accurate information to the 
        public regarding a food safety emergency; and
            (3) other improvements to the current Federal system for 
        response to food safety emergencies.
    (c) Food Safety Action Plan.--
            (1) Preparation.--The Food Safety Rapid Response Team shall 
        develop a food safety action plan, which shall delineate, 
        within the Department of Agriculture, the responsibility and 
        mission of each office and agency of the Department during a 
        food safety emergency and facilitate the cooperation of the 
        Department and the coordination of the Department response with 
        other Federal agencies, States, local governments, colleges and 
universities, industry, and public interest groups.
            (2) Submission.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall 
        submit the food safety action plan required by this section to 
        Congress.
    (d) Executive Branch Cooperation and Coordination.--The Secretary 
of Agriculture is encouraged to enter into memoranda of understanding 
with the heads of other Federal agencies that conduct similar programs 
or activities regarding food safety, for the purpose of ensuring 
consistent, accurate, and coordinated dissemination throughout the 
executive branch of information and services in the event of a food 
safety emergency.

SEC. 5. EMPHASIS ON FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH IN FUND FOR RURAL AMERICA.

    Section 793(c)(2)(A) of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and 
Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 2204f) is amended--
            (1) in clause (vii), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
        semicolon;
            (2) in clause (viii), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new clause:
                            ``(ix) increase food safety from farm-to-
                        consumer.''

SEC. 6. NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) Definition of Food and Agricultural Sciences.--Section 
1404(8)(B) the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching 
Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(8)(B)) is amended by inserting ``, 
including food safety'' after ``agricultural products''.
    (b) Food Safety Program.--The National Agricultural Research, 
Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 is amended by adding after 
section 1425 (7 U.S.C. 3175) the following new section:

``SEC. 1426. NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND EXTENSION 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Program Required.--The Secretary shall establish the National 
Food Safety Research, Education, and Extension Program to reduce the 
incidence of food borne illness to the greatest extent possible through 
research, education, and extension activities.
    ``(b) Elements of Program.--The Secretary shall use the National 
Food Safety Research, Education, and Extension Program--
            ``(1) to conduct and coordinate research concerning food 
        borne threats to human health and concerning mechanisms to 
        identify, reduce, eliminate, and prevent food borne threats 
        from entering into, and existing in, the food supply, including 
        research to develop rapid, cost effective tests, for the 
        presence of food pathogens (such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, 
        E. coli O157:H7, Cryptosporidium, Hepatitis A and Norwalk 
        viruses, Pfisteria and other marine toxins, Cyclospora, and 
        Toxoplasma), to enhance understanding of how such pathogens 
        become resistant to preservation technologies, and to develop 
        technologies for prevention and control of such pathogens.
            ``(2) to enhance surveillance by providing data to 
        anticipate and prevent future outbreaks of food borne illness 
        by focusing on production, processing, handling, 
        transportation, and storage practices, proper use of veterinary 
        drugs and feed, and management of animal wastes.
            ``(3) to fill current knowledge gaps in food safety issues, 
        including the development of better data and modeling 
        techniques to improve risk assessments;
            ``(4) to identify ways to improve the dissemination of 
        information regarding food safety strategies to all 
        participants in the farm-to-table spectrum, including 
agricultural producers, processors, transporters, handlers, and 
consumers, so as to reduce the incidence of food borne illness;
            ``(5) to coordinate the activities of the Federal 
        Government and land-grant colleges and universities regarding 
        research on food safety issues and the dissemination of such 
        information; and
            ``(6) to cooperate with State governments and the private 
        sector to improve and enhance the safety of food.
    ``(c) Contract, Grants, Cooperative Agreements.--
            ``(1) In general.--With funds available to carry out this 
        section, the Secretary may enter into contracts, grants, or 
        cooperative agreements with individuals and organizations in 
        accordance with section 1472.
            ``(2) Competitive basis.--Grants made under this subsection 
        shall be made on a competitive basis.
    ``(d) Administration.--
            ``(1) Costs.--The Secretary may retain for administration 
        up to 4 percent of amounts appropriated for the National Food 
        Safety Research, Education, and Extension Program authorized by 
        this section, notwithstanding the availability of any 
        appropriation for administrative expenses of the National Food 
        Safety Research, Education, and Extension Program.
            ``(2) Rules and regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe 
        rules and regulations necessary for the administration of this 
        section.
            ``(3) Consultation with the national academy of sciences.--
        The Secretary may use funds made available under this section 
        to consult with the National Academy of Sciences regarding the 
        administration of the National Food Safety Research, Education, 
        and Extension Program without regard to the requirements of the 
        Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) and title XVIII 
        of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2281 et 
        seq.).''.

SEC. 7. DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF FOOD SAFETY TECHNOLOGY.

    (a) Cooperative Agreements for Food Safety Technology.--
Notwithstanding chapter 63 of title 31, United States Code, the 
Secretary of Agriculture may enter into cooperative agreements with a 
person or entity otherwise eligible to enter into such an agreement 
under section 1472 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, 
and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3318) under which the 
facilities and technical expertise of the Agriculture Research Service 
may be made available to the person or entity for the purpose of 
developing and commercializing new technologies and products for food 
safety to the point of practical application.
    (b) Sale of New Technologies and Products.--The Secretary of 
Agriculture shall authorize the partners in a cooperative agreement 
under this section to sell new technologies and products for food 
safety produced under the agreement for the purpose of determining the 
market potential for the new technologies or products.
    (c) Source of Funds.--To carry out this section, the Secretary of 
Agriculture may use funds appropriated to carry out this section and 
funds otherwise available for such cooperative agreements that may be 
entered into under section 12 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
Innovation Act of 1986 (15 U.S.C. 3710a).