**GAO-08-794**                      Published: Jun 10, 2008. Publicly Released: Jul 14, 2008.                  

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## Highlights

Like other nations, the United States faces growing food safety challenges resulting from at least three major trends. First, imported food makes up a growing share of the food supply. Second, consumers are increasingly eating foods that are raw or have had minimal processing and that are often associated with foodborne illness. Third, changing demographic patterns mean that more of the U.S. population is, and increasingly will be, susceptible to foodborne illness. In 2005, GAO reported on the approaches and challenges seven countries faced in reorganizing and consolidating food safety functions. Since then, the European Union (EU) has taken on a larger role in overseeing food safety within its 27 member states. GAO was asked to describe how Canada, the EU, Germany, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (UK) (1) ensure the safety of imported food, (2) respond to outbreaks of foodborne illness, and (3) measure the effectiveness of their reorganized food safety systems. GAO also asked experts in these countries and the EU to identify emerging food safety challenges that they expect to face over the next decade. In doing this work, GAO did not evaluate the countries' management of their food safety systems or explicitly compare their efforts with those of the United States.

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## Topics

Agriculture and Food

Consumer protectionContaminated foodsDisease controlDisease detection or diagnosisDisease surveillanceEpidemicsFood and drug legislationFood industryFood inspectionFood safetyFood supplyFoodborne diseasesForeign governmentsForeign trade policiesImportingInternational trade regulationMeat inspectionProduct safetyProgram evaluationProgram managementPublic healthRisk assessmentRisk managementSafety standardsSalmonellosisStandardsTrade policiesTrade regulationForeign countriesStandards (food)