Skip to main content

Agriculture and Food

Jump To:

Recent Reports

View More Reports

Open Recommendations

Food Safety: USDA Should Take Additional Actions to Strengthen Oversight of Meat and Poultry [Reissued with revisions on Jan. 23, 2025]
GAO-25-107613
Jan 23, 2025
Show
5 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Food Safety and Inspection Service The Administrator of FSIS should develop a prioritization plan to fully document which products to address and the additional policies needed to effectively address pathogen reduction for Salmonella in meat and standards for Campylobacter in turkey parts. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Food Safety and Inspection Service The Administrator of FSIS should review the public health impacts of delaying proposed pathogen standards for Salmonella in meat and standards for Campylobacter in turkey parts, to inform a prioritization plan. This review could include assessing risks to human health and gathering information about potential gaps in oversight. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Food Safety and Inspection Service The Administrator of FSIS should update its memorandum of understanding with APHIS, or create a new agreement, to clearly identify specific pathogens of concern and each agency's responsibilities in coordinating and responding to these pathogens' occurrence in outbreak investigation activities. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service The Administrator of APHIS should update its memorandum of understanding with FSIS, or create a new agreement, to clearly identify specific pathogens of concern and each agency's responsibilities in coordinating and responding to these pathogens' occurrence in outbreak investigation activities. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Food Safety and Inspection Service The Administrator of FSIS should offer educational materials, such as signage, to its regulated plants on sanitation to support their efforts to comply with FSIS's requirements and guidance to reduce the spread of pathogens in meat and poultry products. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Equal Employment Opportunity: USDA Could Strengthen Efforts to Address Workplace Discrimination Complaints
GAO-25-105804
Jan 21, 2025
Show
3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure OASCR consistently monitors and reports annually to the Secretary on agency ADR programs, as authorized by federal regulation. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure OASCR updates its policy, as planned, and resumes its reviews of agency civil rights training program plans, as directed by departmental policy. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure OASCR develops and administers a department-wide tool for obtaining anonymous information from employees about their experiences with workplace discrimination. This effort should be in coordination with all relevant USDA agencies, offices, and mission areas. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Food Safety: FDA Should Strengthen Inspection Efforts to Protect the U.S. Food Supply
GAO-25-107571
Jan 08, 2025
Show
5 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Congress Congress should consider directing FDA to conduct an analysis to determine the annual number of foreign food facility inspections sufficient to ensure the safety of imported food, and communicate this number and FDA's underlying analysis to Congress. (Matter for Consideration 1)
Open
As of February 11, 2025, Congress has not taken action on this matter.
Congress Congress should consider, upon receiving the relevant information and analysis from FDA, updating the annual target for the number of foreign food facility inspections FDA should conduct to ensure the safety of imported food. (Matter for Consideration 2)
Open
As of February 11, 2025, Congress has not taken action on this matter.
Food and Drug Administration The Commissioner of FDA should take steps to determine the appropriate size and workload of its foreign investigator cadre for the purpose of meeting FDA's foreign inspection goals and ensuring FDA's ability to safeguard imported food. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Food and Drug Administration The Commissioner of FDA should identify and implement additional procedures to minimize incidences of attempted inspections of domestic food facilities. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Food and Drug Administration The Commissioner of FDA should develop and implement a performance management process that includes defining the desired results of FDA's food safety inspection efforts, collecting performance information on these efforts, and using this information to assess performance, inform FDA decision-making, and communicate to Congress and the public about results. Specific elements of this process could include, but not be limited to, data and information on FDA's progress in recruiting and retaining food safety investigators and in minimizing incidences of attempted inspections. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

School Meal Programs: Additional Data and Outreach Could Help Charter School Participation
GAO-25-106846
Dec 11, 2024
Show
2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Administrator of FNS conducts an assessment to determine whether there are cost-effective ways to obtain reliable information on state-level variation in participation and factors that affect charter schools' ability to participate in school meal programs. (Recommendation 1)
Open
USDA agreed with this recommendation. We will monitor the agency's progress to address it.
Department of Agriculture The Secretary of Agriculture should ensure that the Administrator of FNS conducts additional outreach to share relevant information on school meal programs with charter schools. Such outreach could include encouraging state agencies to share reminders of existing resources with charter schools, such as FNS's memorandum on charter schools or the Child Nutrition Sharing Site. (Recommendation 2)
Open
USDA agreed with this recommendation. We will monitor the agency's progress to address it.
View More Recommendations

Related Pages

GAO Contacts