August 25, 1998

MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ON FOOD SAFETY

                               THE WHITE HOUSE
 
                        Office of the Press Secretary
                     (Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts)
  ___________________________________________________________
  For Immediate Release                           August 25, 1998
 
 
                               August 25, 1998
 
 
  MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ON FOOD SAFETY
 
  SUBJECT:       National Academy of Sciences Report
 
 
  My Administration is committed to ensuring that the American people enjoy
  the safest food possible.  We have made great progress by implementing
  science-based prevention control systems for seafood, meat, and poultry;
  developing a comprehensive initiative to ensure the safety of domestic
  and imported fruits and vegetables; and launching an interagency food
  safety initiative that focuses on key food safety issues from the farm to
  the table.  We can and must continue to build upon these efforts.
 
  Under our current food safety system, several different Federal agencies
  have responsibility for improving food safety.  Within the framework of
  our interagency initiative, we have taken a number of steps to improve
  the coordination of our food safety efforts.  Most recently, we
  established a Joint Institute for Food Safety Research to develop a
  strategic plan for conducting food safety research activities and to
  coordinate all Federal food safety research, including with the private
  sector and academia.
 
  Today, I signed an Executive Order establishing the President's Council
  on Food Safety.  To strengthen and focus our efforts to coordinate food
  safety policy and resources and improve food safety for American
  consumers, the Council will develop a comprehensive strategic plan for
  Federal food safety activities, ensure the most effective use of Federal
  resources through the development and submission of coordinated food
  safety budgets, and oversee the Joint Institute for Food Safety Research.
 
  The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently issued a thoughtful and
  highly informative report on food safety issues, entitled "Ensuring Safe
  Food from Production to Consumption."  This report recommends additional
  ways to enhance coordination and improve effectiveness in the food safety
  system, including through reform of current food safety legislation.
 
  I hereby direct the Council to review and respond to this report as one
  of its first orders of business.  After providing opportunity for public
  comment, including public meetings, the Council shall report back to me
  within 180 days with its views on the NAS's recommendations.  In
  developing this report, the Council should take into account the
  comprehensive strategic Federal food safety plan that it will be
  developing.
 
  I thank the Council for its efforts to improve food safety, and I look
  forward to the continued leadership of the President's Council on Food
  Safety.
 
 
                                WILLIAM J. CLINTON
 
 
                                    # # #
 
 

This is a mirror of the White House press release, August 25, 1998, from the <http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/html/briefroom.html> White House Briefing Room.