000391 NFPA Opposes Food Safety User Fees

Washington - The National Food Processors Association (NFPA) “strongly supports providing an adequate level of funding” for the food safety programs of the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, according to NFPA President and CEO John Cady.

In testimony provided to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies, Cady stated that “NFPA enjoys many partnerships with federal food safety regulatory authorities, and we are committed to ensuring that these same authorities are well-equipped to protect public health and instill confidence in consumers about the safety of the food products they consume.”

Cady noted that “The President's FY 2001 Budget proposes more than $500 million in new user fees -- more appropriately described as regulatory taxes - - which require food companies to pay for the privilege of being regulated. These proposed fees on the food industry are hidden taxes whose costs would be borne both by producers and eventually by consumers in higher food prices. Furthermore, funding regulatory programs through taxes raised from industry would only serve to undermine public confidence in the independent judgment of either FDA or FSIS. NFPA urges the Committee to reject these user fee proposals, as they have repeatedly done in past Administration budget requests.”

Cady urged the Committee “to protect funding for food science-based activities at FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). While CFSAN has benefited from funding increases in recent years, much of these increases have been absorbed by a combination of dedicated funding for regulatory initiatives, and staff salary increases and and cost-of-living adjustments. This 'crowding out' effect appears to have contributed to a slow, but steady, erosion of FDA's ability to preserve its food science base. The continued declines of FDA's science based can only imperil FDA's long-term capabilities to respond rapidly and authoritatively to emerging scientific and policy challenges that grow increasingly complex. We urge the Committee to explore with FDA opportunities to support the integrity of CFSAN's scientific capabilities.”

While NFPA supports adequate resources for FSIS, Cady said, “We are concerned with reports of personnel management practices that have led to inspector shortages and resulting plant slowdowns or work stoppages in meat and poultry establishments. We urge the Committee to review this problem to ensure the availability of inspection personnel via either additional resources or management reforms, including alternative inspection procedures.” He added that “NFPA supports the transition to a HACCP-based inspection system, but we note that FSIS pledges to remove inspection regulations that are inconsistent with HACCP have not been fully realized.”

Cady said that “NFPA notes with approval the announced plan of FSIS to move toward daily, unscheduled processing inspection in 2001. NFPA agrees that daily, unscheduled processing inspection can free up appropriated funds to address inspections shortages or other, greater relative food safety risks. NFPA believes, however, that without arbitrary requirements for frequency of inspection, unscheduled inspection in processing establishments could yield even greater benefits. For this reason, we urge the Committee to direct FSIS to explore methods of further maximizing this flexible approach.”

NFPA is the voice of the $460 billion food processing industry on scientific and public policy issues involving food safety, nutrition, technical and regulatory matters and consumer affairs.

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