The Food Safety and Inspection Service has announced plans to extend a federal program that collects data from independent laboratories across the country.
Following requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and federal budget office rules, the agency is seeking to renew authorization for gathering information from state, local, and private labs that analyze food samples when illness outbreaks occur or when products are recalled from store shelves.
Officials say they are not proposing any modifications to the current data collection system. The existing authorization is set to end on August 31, 2026.
The program allows federal food safety officials to coordinate with outside laboratories during food safety emergencies and investigations into contaminated products that could pose health risks to consumers.
