Federal agencies plan food safety meeting

WASHINGTON, March 3 (UPI) -- Several federal agencies say they are jointly planning a public workshop that will be focused on reducing food-borne illnesses.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service will hold the event March 30 in Washington.

Officials said the workshop will focus on current methods for evaluating food safety progress, the methodologic and data challenges involved and the potential for improved metrics.

"Being able to draw links between what we're doing to keep the food supply safe and the frequency of human illness is crucial for gauging the effectiveness of our programs -- what changes are needed, and in what areas," said FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods Michael Taylor.

"To make our food safer, we must know as quickly as possible which foods are making people ill and why," said USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Food Safety Jerold Mande. "This meeting will help us develop the specific measures we need to see which policies work best to improve food safety."

Online pre-registration ends March 24.

More information and a registration link are available at http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/WorkshopsMeetingsConferences/ucm201102.htm.