Intro -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1 -- Nutrition Assistance Programs: Agencies Could Do More to Help Address the Nutritional Needs of Older Adults( -- Abbreviations -- Why GAO Did This Study -- What GAO Recommends -- What GAO Found -- Background -- Older Adult Population Growth -- Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs Serving Older Adults -- Program Administration -- Federally-Supported Nutrition Guidelines -- Evidence Shows Nutrition Is Associated with Older Adults' Health Outcomes, but Federal Nutrition Guidelines Do Not Address Their Varying Needs -- The Majority of Older Adults Have Chronic Conditions and Evidence Shows Older Adults' Nutrition Is Associated with Their Health Outcomes -- Barriers to Older Adults' Meeting Nutritional Needs May Negatively Affect Their Health Outcomes -- Federal Nutrition Guidelines Do Not Address the Varying Nutritional Needs of Older Adults -- Several Nutrition Assistance Programs Serving Older Adults Include Nutrition-Related Requirements, and Federal Oversight of Requirements in Some Programs Is Limited -- Four of the Six Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs Serving Older Adults Include Nutrition Requirements -- Congregate and Home-Delivered Meal Programs -- Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) -- Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) -- Several Programs Also Require the Provision of Services to Help Older Adults Meet Nutritional Needs -- Nutrition Education -- Screening and Assessments -- Nutrition Professionals -- Federal Oversight of Meal Programs Provides Limited Information on the Extent to Which Programs Are Adhering to Nutritional Requirements and Addressing Challenges -- Providers Face Challenges, Such as Increased Demand for Nutrition Programs and Meal Accommodations, and Some Lack Information to Address Them.

Providers Reported Challenges Meeting Increased Demand for Nutrition Programs, with Some Leveraging Additional Resources to Meet Needs -- Providers Face Challenges Meeting Needs for Certain Meal Accommodations and Some Lack Information to Help Address These Needs -- Congregate and Home-Delivered Meal Programs -- Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) -- Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) -- Providers Also Reported Other Challenges That Hinder Efforts to Meet Older Adults' Nutritional Needs, Though Some Have Taken Actions to Help Address Them -- Conclusion -- Recommendations for Executive Action -- Agency Comments and Our Evaluation -- Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology -- Federal Data -- Literature Search -- Site Visits -- Interviews and Reviews of Relevant Documents -- Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Health and Human Services -- Chapter 2 -- Date Labels on Packaged Foods: USDA and FDA Could Take Additional Steps to Reduce Consumer Confusion( -- Abbreviations -- Why GAO Did This Study -- What GAO Recommends -- What GAO Found -- Background -- Federal and Nonfederal Roles Related to Date Labels -- USDA and FDA -- State, Municipal, and Tribal Governments -- Industry -- Advocacy Groups, International Organizations, and Countries -- Federal and International Roles Related to Food Loss and Waste -- USDA and FDA Have Taken Steps to Address Consumer Confusion about Date Labels -- USDA Has Issued Guidance for Consumers and Industry -- USDA Has Promulgated Regulations and Implemented Policies -- USDA Funded Research Related to Date Labels -- FDA Regulates Date Labels on Infant Formula, Has Provided Information on Date Labels to Consumers, and Has Supported Industry Efforts to Standardize Date Labels.

USDA and FDA Have Taken Steps to Coordinate with Each Other and Some Stakeholders But Have Not Coordinated with Other Stakeholders on an Approach to Date Labels -- USDA and FDA Have Coordinated on Some Initiatives -- USDA and FDA Have Taken Steps to Work with Some Nonfederal Stakeholders to Address Date Labels but Have Not Coordinated with Others -- Conclusion -- Recommendations for Executive Action -- Agency Comments and Our Evaluation -- Appendix I: Comments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture -- Appendix II: Comments from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- Chapter 3 -- Food Loss and Waste: Building on Existing Federal Efforts Could Help to Achieve National Reduction Goal * -- Abbreviations -- Why GAO Did This Study -- What GAO Recommends -- What GAO Found -- Background -- Federal Roles and Responsibilities Related to FLW Vary -- Varying Definitions Inform Methodologies for Measuring Food Loss and Waste -- Food Loss and Waste Occurs throughout the Food Supply Chain, and Options to Reduce It Vary -- Nonfederal Stakeholders Cited Various Challenges to Reducing Food Loss and Waste in the United States -- Nonfederal Stakeholders Said Data and Information about Amounts and Causes of FLW Are Limited -- Nonfederal Stakeholders Identified a Lack of Education and Awareness about FLW -- Nonfederal Stakeholders Said Limited Infrastructure and Capacity Can Hamper Efforts to Reduce FLW -- EPA and USDA Have Taken Initial Actions to Address Key Challenge Areas to Reducing Food Loss and Waste -- EPA and USDA Have Provided Some Data and Information on Food Loss and Waste in the United States -- EPA and USDA Have Taken Some Actions to Educate and Build Awareness about Food Loss and Waste -- EPA and USDA Have Taken Some Actions to Increase Infrastructure and Capacity to Support Efforts to Reduce FLW.

EPA, USDA, and FDA Have Done Some Initial Planning toward Achieving the National FLW Reduction Goal -- Conclusion -- Recommendations for Executive Action -- Agency Comments -- Appendix I: Comments from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency -- Appendix II: Comments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture -- Appendix III: Comments from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- Appendix IV: Accessible Data -- Data Table -- Chapter 4 -- Safety of the U.S. Food Supply: Continuing Concerns Over the Food and Drug Administration's Food-Recall Process* -- Opening Statement of Hon. Gregg Harper, A Representative in Congress from the State of Mississippi -- Prepared Statement of Hon. Gregg Harper -- Opening Statement of Hon. Diana Degette, A Representative in Congress from the State of Colorado -- Opening Statement of Hon. Greg Walden, A Representative in Congress from the State of Oregon -- Prepared Statement of Hon. Greg Walden -- Opening Statement of Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr., A Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey -- Prepared Statement of Hon. Frank Pallone, Jr. -- Statements of Gloria L. Jarmon, Deputy Inspector General for Audit Services, Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services, and Douglas W. Stearn, Acting Deputy Director for Regulatory Affairs, Center for Food Safety and Applied... -- FDA's Oversight of Food Recalls -- Deficiencies in FDA's Oversight of Recall Initiation -- FDA Could Not Always Ensure that Firms Initiated Recalls Promptly -- FDA Did Not Always Evaluate Health Hazards in a Timely Manner -- Key OIG Recommendations for Improving FDA's Oversight of Recall Initiation -- Deficiencies in FDA's Monitoring of Recalls -- FDA Did Not Always Issue Audit Check Assignments Consistent with the Level in the Proposed Audit Program.

FDA Did Not Always Complete Audit Checks in Accordance with Its Procedures -- FDA Did Not Always Collect Timely and Complete Status Reports from Recalling Firms -- Key OIG Recommendations for Improving FDA's Monitoring of Recalls -- Deficiencies in FDA's Electronic Recall Enterprise System -- FDA Did Not Always Track Key Recall Data in RES -- FDA Did Not Always Maintain Accurate Recall Data -- Key OIG Recommendations for Improving the Completeness and Accuracy of FDA's Electronic Data Systems -- FDA Initiatives to Improve the Food-Recall Process -- Conclusion -- Statement of Douglas W. Stearn -- Statement of Douglas W. Stearn, J.D., Acting Deputy Director for Regulatory Affairs, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and Director of the Office of Enforcement and Import Operations, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Food and Drug Administration -- Department of Health and Human Services -- Introduction -- Roles of Industry and FDA in Conducting Recalls -- FDA Work with Firms during Recalls -- FDA'S Commitment to Improving Recall Processes, Disclosure, and Execution -- Implications for Food Recall Processes from Other FDA Change Initiatives -- Conclusion -- Prepared Statement of Hon. Michael C. Burgess -- Witnesses -- Background -- Estimates of Health and Economic Impact from Foodborne Illness -- FDA Authorities -- Recent Audits before the 2017 OIG Report -- HHS OIG Early Alert -- HHS OIG December 2017 Report -- FDA Comments -- Issues -- U.S. House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Energy and Commerce "Safety of the U.S. Food Supply: Continuing Concerns Over the Food and Drug Administration's Food-Recall Process" -- The Honorable Gregg Harper -- The Honorable Michael C. Burgess -- Attachment-Additional Questions for the Record -- The Honorable Gregg Harper -- The Honorable Michael C. Burgess.

The Honorable Frank Pallone, Jr.