Módulo profesional: seguridade e hixiene na manipulación de alimentos

The Customs Service of the U.S. Treasury Department administers the Tariff Act of 1930 and other related laws, ensuring that all goods entering and exiting the United States do so according to U.S. laws and regulations. In this role it assists FSIS and FDA in their regulatory responsibilities.

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, also a part of the U.S. Treasury Department, enforces food safety laws governing production, labeling, and distribu- tion of alcoholic beverages. It has primary federal responsibility for ensuring the safety of alcoholic beverages and also investigates cases of adulterated alcoholic products, sometimes with help from the FDA.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH has no regulatory function, but it does contribute to food safety research. Although it does not have a research program specifically for food safety, it does con- duct research on foodborne diseases as part of its overall mission to understand dis- ease processes in humans and to improve human health. Much of the research relating to how microorganisms cause foodborne diseases has resulted from NIH-sponsored research.

Food Safety at the State and Local Levels

State and local government agencies are also vital players on the nation’s food safety team. They include more than 3,000 city, county, tribal and state health, agriculture, and environmental protection agencies (NRC 1998). They inspect and issue licenses to restaurants, grocery stores, and other retail food establishments, as well as dairy farms, milk processing plants, grain mills, and food manufacturing plants within their local jurisdictions. In many states the regulatory authority is split between the state ag- riculture and health departments. State and local governments investigate foodborne illnesses within their jurisdictions in conjunction with the CDC.

The federal government aids state and local agencies to ensure the safety of food produced and sold within local jurisdictions. States may choose to operate their own interstate meat and/or poultry inspection programs instead of using federal inspec- tion, and are responsible for meat and poultry inspection for products sold within state boundaries. FSIS monitors the process to be sure that state inspection pro- grams are at least equal to federal programs. If states do not have their own inspec- tion programs, FSIS handles meat and poultry inspection. Many states have their own fish inspection programs. States may adopt all or part of the FDA Food Code as part of their state regulations for retail food establishments. Some states and tribal authorities have adopted some parts of different editions of the Food Code, but uni- formity in Food Code adoption is lacking. Each state has its own set of regulations, which vary from state to state. Unlike the Food Code, all 50 states, the District of

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Columbia, and United States trust territories have adopted the Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance. This ordinance, created by public and private entities in 1924 to de- velop effective programs for preventing milkborne disease, is the national standard for milk sanitation.

Food Safety at the International Level

Several international organizations interact to improve the safety of the world’s food supply. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) was founded as part of the United Nations in 1945 to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living, to im- prove agricultural productivity, and to better the condition of people in rural areas. Food safety is an important part of FAO’s mission since foodborne disease is one of the most widespread threats to human health, as well as an important cause of reduced economic productivity. The World Health Organization (WHO), founded in 1948, has as its mission to set global standards of health and to aid governments in strength- ening national health programs. WHO recognizes that protecting consumers from contaminants and preventing foodborne diseases are two of the most important strat- egies for overcoming malnutrition in the world. WHO’s activity in food safety issues centers around development of national food safety policies and infrastructures, food legislation and enforcement, food safety education, promotion of food technologies, food safety in urban settings and in tourism, surveillance of foodborne diseases, and monitoring of chemical contaminants in food. FAO and WHO collaborate on many food safety issues as joint FAO/WHO committees and conferences.

One of the most important joint FAO/WHO commissions is the Codex Alimentarius Commission. This body’s task is the development of uniform food stan- dards that can be used by governments throughout the world. This food code is known as the Codex Alimentarius. The name comes from a collection of standards and product descriptions developed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1897 and 1911 that was called the Codex Alimentarius Austriacus. The present-day Codex Alimentarius consists of food standards for commodities, codes of practice for hygiene and technology, pesticide evaluations and limits for pesticide residues, evaluations of food additives, guidelines for contaminants, and evaluations of veterinary drugs. Al- though the main goal of the Codex is to set uniform regulatory standards in the inter- ests of international trade, it has also served to raise food safety standards in many countries. One hundred forty member nations accept its standards and follow its codes of practice. The Codex is the preferred international reference for ensuring fair prac- tices in the sale of food and for facilitating international trade in food. The Codex Alimentarius Commission also generates scientific texts, convenes numerous expert committees and consultations, and holds international meetings. The U.S. Codex of- fice is at the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service in Washington, D.C.

The World Trade Organization (WTO), created in 1995, also plays a role in food safety, as it is the main body that deals with rules of trade between nations. WTO re- placed the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which has since been incorporated into WTO agreements. Much of international trade involves food. WTO recognizes the Codex as the international standard of reference, and uses it to establish much of its legal ground rules for international commerce and trade policy. Other trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) also work to harmonize food safety standards and regulations as a way of promoting international trade.

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WHAT IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOING ABOUT FOOD SAFETY