In July 2004, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety Dr. Elsa Murano released “Fulfilling the Vision: Initiatives in Protecting Public Health,” a document that reviews recent successes and builds on the course laid out in 2003 to improve the prediction and response to food safety challenges in order to further reduce the incidence of foodborne illness.
Sworn in as Under Secretary for Food Safety in 2001, Dr. Murano, who oversees FSIS’s policies and programs, has emphasized the implementation of science-based standards and procedures as the primary focus of the efforts of FSIS personnel and policies.
Under Dr. Murano’s supervision, FSIS has made impressive strides toward improving food safety by utilizing the best available science and technology, and adjusting FSIS’ workforce to support an increasingly science-based and public health-oriented food safety system. These science-based initiatives continue to contribute to the downward trend of harmful pathogen contamination observed in FSIS’s regulatory testing programs.