Remarks prepared for delivery by Al Almanza, Food Safety and Inspection Service Administrator, for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Science Forum breakfast, April 14, 2009, Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City, Arlington, VA, noon.

Opening
Good morning. I appreciate the opportunity to be here with so many of our partners in food safety. No matter if you're a retailer, food processor, transporter or a scientist involved in research and testing—no matter what your vocation—food safety is everyone's business.

I'm sure you'll agree if you think safety is expensive, try a recall. The good will and customer loyalty gained from investing in safe and wholesome products are things money can't buy. Building and keeping public trust is what we have in common.

But, as we know, all it takes is just one misstep, one outbreak or one careless handling of food and you're rolling the dice with your business.

A recent rash of foodborne illnesses, from spinach to hot peppers to peanut butter—and now pistachios—has fueled calls for change. Change is also the theme that brought our new administration into office. They're ready and FSIS is ready.

While 15 federal agencies have a hand in food safety regulation, according to the Government Accountability Office, FSIS remains the premier food safety agency.

Why? Because, we inspect. It's in our name. It's what the public demands and the law requires. And, it's been working well for more than a century.

Inspections don't disrupt business. They're part of doing business and keeping business—no different than taking inventory, meeting payroll or launching an ad campaign.

FSIS understands inspection is a science, not an art. All products aren't equal in risk, just as all plants aren't equal in performance. Therefore, inspection based on risk allows our agency to place resources where they do the most good.

I'm not surprised. I've been in this business since taking a summer job on the packing room floor more than 30 years ago. I know what works.

And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention knows this as well. Last Thursday, the CDC released a report stating that our efforts to reduce Salmonella and other pathogens are working.

So I welcome the debate on shaping the future of our business.

Science and data will continue to drive our decisions. That's why we're excited about our upcoming Public Health Information System, which will allow us to detect problems in the food chain before they become problems. It's part of our modernization. More on this in a few minutes.

FSIS and the Grocery Manufacturers Association cross paths on many fronts—training, pathogen reduction and international food standards, just to name a few.

Just like the GMA, FSIS educates consumers on how to safely prepare and store the food they buy and places a high priority on public health.

FSIS has a vibrant outreach program for small plants. We influence international trade and processing standards through our membership on the Codex committee.

Take international equivalence. It's a time-tested industry standard—not the gold, the platinum standard! What better way to ensure across-the-board quality than to engage foreign governments directly?

I'd rather go to the head of an overseas inspection agency than a foreign plant. Government-to-government is more effective and ensures imports are uniform.

Our system of determining equivalence is efficient. We don't require foreign food inspection agencies to practice our procedures. We just insist on the same results in sanitation and wholesomeness.

Now that I've set the tone—like I've said, we're ready—here's what's making news at FSIS.

Downer Livestock
The USDA asked Congress to modify the law banning the slaughter of cattle that are non-ambulatory or become non-ambulatory after initial inspection by the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Under the revision, no injured cattle can be slaughtered.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack supports a complete ban of injured cattle entering the food chain. That law becomes effective this Friday.

The administration believes this will maintain consumer confidence, eliminate further misunderstanding of the rule and make a positive impact on the humane handling of cattle.

Single Food Safety Agency
If there's a year for potentially big changes in food safety, 2009 may be it.

Secretary Tom Vilsack is open to considering such an agency to handle food safety issues and some lawmakers have pushed this idea for years.

Considering the Congressional committees and the coordination required with other state and federal agencies, creating any new agency would take some time, but the issue is getting early attention from the president.

President Obama called outdated laws and regulations in his weekly radio address a "hazard to public health."

The president created a food safety group to advise him on legislation and ways to improve regulators' ability to prevent and trace contaminated food and we welcome that effort.

Headed by the secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, the group includes cabinet members and senior officials from other federal agencies responsible for food safety.

Tackling E. coli and Salmonella
As with the GMA, tackling food-borne pathogens is always at the FSIS forefront and here's what were doing.

E. coli: We've held several public meetings with industry representatives, consumers and other public health partners to get at the root of the problem. The discussions have resulted in directives and policies to limit E. coli contamination. The USDA is also looking at feedlot interventions and feed additives.

Secretary Vilsack just issued a conditional license to a Minnesota company, for instance, for a vaccine that reduces E. coli in feedlot cattle.

Salmonella: Our incentive and verification testing has shown improvements in the data trends, especially in broilers, ground chicken and turkey.

Emerging pathogens: FSIS is conducting a study to deal with Campylobacter, including a parts baseline in the coming years. We're also watching out for emerging pathogens, like Clostridium difficile, known as "C-diff."

Retail Labeling
FSIS is charged with managing and enforcing food labeling for meat and poultry by the Federal Meat Inspection and the Poultry Products Inspection Acts.

Ensuring labels are truthful, accurate and not misleading is a big job. Our agency evaluates at least 60,000 labels each year.

As much as possible, our labeling regulations reflect changes in the food processing industry as well as consumer interest.

Because of all the media options, particularly with the Internet, today's consumers are perhaps the best informed shoppers in history. They read those labels.

That's how informed purchases are made. So if the label is ambiguous, unclear or deceptive, the consumer merely goes to the competitor's brand.

So labeling is really an opportunity to connect with the customer and build trust. And it's FSIS's job to ensure that what you read is what you get. That's part of how we all can build trust with the American public.

False and misleading labels are defined several ways. Imitating another food, omitting the manufacturer's name, distributor, content or quantity all come to mind.

Not declaring artificial coloring, flavoring or chemical preservatives or the inspection legend and establishment number from where the product originated are other examples of false labeling.

Violators face a wide range of penalties including revoking the label, prohibiting shipments and sales or recalling the product.

In March, special requirements for the meat industry and retail stores began as the country-of-origin labeling law, or COOL, took effect.

COOL regulations require labeling for muscle cuts of beef and other meats so consumers will know which country those meats were imported from. The program, however, exempts processed meats.

Labeling can be a complex topic, but FSIS has resources to help you through the maze of regulations.

On the FSIS Web site you can access "A Guide to Federal Food Labeling for Meat and Poultry Products." (PDF Only) This is an excellent booklet that's actually quite readable, covering the requirements and regulations of labeling.

Also, you can call the FSIS Labeling and Program Delivery Division at (202) 205-0623.

Advancements
As I mentioned earlier, FSIS is developing an information and monitoring system that promises to change the way we operate.

We call it the Public Health Information System, or PHIS, and it's designed to alert us to dangerous trends in food processing before they're problems.

The system will permit us, along with other government agencies and stakeholders, to rapidly detect and respond to everything from pathogen outbreaks and unsafe practices to widespread violations.

FSIS will respond faster and more effectively through better coordination with mangers, stakeholders and other agencies while improving investigations and adulterant tracing.

The core of PHIS is a huge data warehouse where information is entered, coordinated and stored. Data will be shared, mined and reported across programs and agencies.

Information from the field will be constantly monitored, compared and assessed for unsafe patterns and anomalies that could spell trouble—anything from an overdue inspection, structural damage or contamination at a plant to a mislabeled product.

As these risks are discovered, inspectors can take immediate action.

PHIS places establishments into a three-tiered structure that provides guidelines for corrections and follow-up based on the severity of the findings.

Expected to be working by October 2010, PHIS is being developed in an open and transparent way. We've heard comments, suggestions and criticisms from our stakeholders that have guided us in developing a vastly improved information system.

We're working to ensure decisions and policies made using PHIS are science-based and backed up by supporting data.

Overall, expect advancements and expect them sooner. There's lots of pent up energy and this administration is ready to open the valve.

It reminds me of America's first manned space flight in 1961. Astronaut Alan Shepard had been sitting atop of the Redstone rocket for hours. He finally got so frustrated with all the delay and deliberation he blurted to mission control "Come on! Let's light this candle."

So I challenge everyone to leave the security of the beaten path and seize uncharted opportunity. As science guides the way, let's look beyond the expected as we steer public health into the 21st century. With temerity, foresight and innovation, we're ready. Let's light this candle!

Conclusion
The Grocery Manufacturers Association represents more than America's leading food, beverage and consumer-product companies.

Historically, this association represents what nearly everyone in the world thinks about when they think of America—a well-fed nation. Too well-fed, some may argue! But that's another topic.

Safe, healthful, abundant and affordable food—and the way it's sold—has been this nation's hallmark to the world for more than a century.

That image was internationally burnished in 1959 when Nikita Khrushchev met with President Eisenhower during the height of the Cold War. During a visit to San Francisco, the Soviet premier broke away from the entourage and made an unscheduled supermarket visit.

He was astounded by what he saw—shelf after heaping shelf of fresh produce and a dizzying variety of products.

This must be staged, he fumed. Khrushchev insisted the supermarket had to be a commissary for the privileged, certainly all those dazzling displays couldn't be for the public, he reasoned.

That sight must have shocked the leader of a country where supplies were scarce and shortages common.

From the turn-of-the-century corner grocery store to today's big-box gastronomic emporiums, America's food retailers and suppliers are still the shining example of this country's bounty—and they're still finding new ways to make that weekly trip to the supermarket exciting.

At FSIS we take pride in being a part of this great heritage and look forward to working together with all of our grocery stakeholders to instill even greater confidence in this nation's food supply. Thank you.