Department of Agriculture:
Mismanagement of Nationwide Food Consumption Survey
T-RCED-92-7: Published: Oct 16, 1991. Publicly Released: Oct 16, 1991.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
GAO discussed the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) mismanagement of the Nationwide Food Consumption Survey. GAO noted that: (1) such data collection problems as low household response rates, complex and lengthy questions, deviation from the planned survey design, lax data quality controls, and inadequate interviewer training adversely impacted the survey's results; (2) the Human Nutrition Information Service (HNIS) should disclose the data's limitations to those who rely on the survey, since the survey's results are the only current data available on household and individual food consumption; (3) USDA stated that it would take such actions as looking for ways to reduce respondent burden and evaluating the survey instruments to correct many of the identified methodological problems; (4) the cost to perform the survey contract increased from $6.2 million to $7.6 million, and completion of the contract was delayed about 1 year partly due to USDA mismanagement; (5) in administering the contract, HNIS and the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) violated internal control procedures designed to protect the public's interest by failing to continuously monitor the contract, communicate with contracting officer representatives, and investigate problems discussed in the contractor's progress report or invoices; and (6) FNS stated that it did not closely monitor the contract because it had a heavy work load and an inexperienced staff.
Nov 20, 2020
Food Safety:
CDC Could Further Strengthen Its Efforts to Identify and Respond to Foodborne IllnessesGAO-21-23: Published: Oct 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 20, 2020.
Nov 16, 2020
-
Farm Programs:
USDA Has Improved Its Completion of Eligibility Compliance Reviews, but Additional Oversight Is NeededGAO-21-95: Published: Oct 30, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 16, 2020.
Sep 16, 2020
-
Agriculture Spending:
Opportunities Exist for USDA to Identify Successes and Challenges of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program to Inform Future EffortsGAO-20-711R: Published: Sep 16, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 16, 2020.
Sep 14, 2020
-
USDA Market Facilitation Program:
Information on Payments for 2019GAO-20-700R: Published: Aug 21, 2020. Publicly Released: Sep 14, 2020.
Aug 10, 2020
-
National Bio and Agro-defense Facility:
DHS and USDA Are Working to Transfer Ownership and Prepare for Operations, but Critical Steps RemainGAO-20-331: Published: Jul 10, 2020. Publicly Released: Aug 10, 2020.
May 7, 2020
-
Food Safety:
FDA and USDA Could Strengthen Existing Efforts to Prepare for Oversight of Cell-Cultured MeatGAO-20-325: Published: Apr 7, 2020. Publicly Released: May 7, 2020.
Apr 13, 2020
-
Priority Open Recommendations:
U.S. Department of AgricultureGAO-20-288PR: Published: Apr 6, 2020. Publicly Released: Apr 13, 2020.
Dec 23, 2019
-
Nutrition Assistance Programs:
Agencies Could Do More to Help Address the Nutritional Needs of Older AdultsGAO-20-18: Published: Nov 21, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 23, 2019.
Dec 6, 2019
-
Imported Seafood Safety:
Actions Needed to Improve FDA Oversight of Import Alert Removal DecisionsGAO-20-62: Published: Nov 6, 2019. Publicly Released: Dec 6, 2019.
Nov 12, 2019
-
Irrigated Agriculture:
Technologies, Practices, and Implications for Water ScarcityGAO-20-128SP: Published: Nov 12, 2019. Publicly Released: Nov 12, 2019.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on Agriculture and Food
Explore our other Key Issues here
