AMERICAN SAMOA FOOD SAFETY PROGRAM

Asg Department Of Agriculture, Tafuna AS

Investigators

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT To minimize the risk of serious adverse health consequences or death from consumption of contaminated produce, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established science- based minimum standards for the safe growing, harvesting, packing, and holding of produce, meaning fruits and vegetables grown for human consumption. FDA is establishing these standards as part of the implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which was signed into law in 2011. The purpose of American Samoa Food Safety Program (ASFSP) is to advance efforts for a territorial integrated food safety system through the planning, establishment, and/or enhancement of American Samoa's Produce Safety Programs such that we encourage the safe production of fresh fruits and vegetables and to promote understanding and compliance with the requirements of FDA's Regulation ?Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption? (commonly referred to as the Produce Safety Rule). The territory at present does not have a comprehensive food safety program. Every year, 1 in 6 Americans get sick due to foodborne diseases. Several high-profile outbreaks related to various foods have captured headlines across the country over recent years. At the local level, American Samoa has experienced its fair share of concerns with food safety, most recently with locally grown bok choy being found to have chemical residues that exceed allowable levels and traces of E.coli bacteria. These concerns have underscored the need to make improvements to our food safety systems. To address the issue of food safety in American Samoa, the American Samoa Government Department of Agriculture (ASG DOA), along with other key stakeholders such as American Samoa Community College Department of Agriculture Community and Natural Resources (ASCC-ACNR) or Land Grant program, American Samoa Government Department of Health (ASG DOH), American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) , and others, propose to develop a science-based system that addresses hazards from the ?farm to the fork?, with a process of continuous improvement built into the system so as to prevent food contamination.