Grain Inspection:
Industry Views on the Decline in Official Inspections and Inspection Costs
T-RCED-93-38: Published: May 13, 1993. Publicly Released: May 13, 1993.
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GAO discussed the Federal Grain Inspection Service's (FGIS) official grain inspection system, focusing on: (1) the decline of official inspections in the domestic grain market and its impact; (2) official domestic inspection fees; (3) export inspection fees; and (4) options for reducing inspection fees. GAO noted that: (1) from 1985 to 1992, the number of official domestic inspections has declined by about 19 percent due to grain industry consolidation, a trend to in-house grading by grain merchandisers, greater buyer confidence in sellers' grain quality, and fewer government grain acquisitions; (2) the decline in inspections has not compromised grain merchandising integrity because the official inspection system serves as a safety net; (3) domestic official inspection fees vary widely because each inspection agency sets its own rates; (4) FGIS export grain inspection fees are higher than designated state agencies' inspection fees; (5) FGIS undercharges for indirect costs of inspections because of its flawed methodology for allocating indirect costs; (6) domestic inspection fees could be reduced by lowering operating costs through consolidation of inspection services, encouraging charter applications, emphasizing fee reasonableness in agency evaluations, and eliminating exclusive territories; and (7) turning FGIS export inspections over to state agencies may not reduce inspection fees, since FGIS supervision fees would be added to state fees.
Jul 17, 2018
Summer Meals:
Improvements Needed to Address Participation Estimates and Program ChallengesGAO-18-611T: Published: Jul 17, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 17, 2018.
Jul 2, 2018
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Summer Meals:
Actions Needed to Improve Participation Estimates and Address Program ChallengesGAO-18-369: Published: May 31, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 2, 2018.
Jun 5, 2018
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Farm Programs:
Information on Payments [Reissued with Revisions Jun. 05, 2018]GAO-18-384R: Published: May 18, 2018. Publicly Released: May 18, 2018.
Apr 18, 2018
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Food Safety:
USDA Should Take Further Action to Reduce Pathogens in Meat and Poultry ProductsGAO-18-272: Published: Mar 19, 2018. Publicly Released: Apr 18, 2018.
Apr 16, 2018
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Food Safety:
Federal Efforts to Manage the Risk of Arsenic in RiceGAO-18-199: Published: Mar 16, 2018. Publicly Released: Apr 16, 2018.
Apr 10, 2018
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U.S. Department of Agriculture:
Additional Data Analysis Could Enhance Monitoring of U.S. Cattle MarketGAO-18-296: Published: Apr 10, 2018. Publicly Released: Apr 10, 2018.
Mar 5, 2018
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Food Safety and Nutrition:
FDA Can Build on Existing Efforts to Measure Progress and Implement Key ActivitiesGAO-18-174: Published: Jan 31, 2018. Publicly Released: Mar 5, 2018.
Nov 30, 2017
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WIC:
USDA's Review of Vegetables Available under the Program Followed Leading Research PracticesGAO-18-125R: Published: Nov 30, 2017. Publicly Released: Nov 30, 2017.
Nov 27, 2017
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Food Safety:
FDA Continues to Evaluate and Respond to Business Concerns about the Produce RuleGAO-18-85: Published: Nov 27, 2017. Publicly Released: Nov 27, 2017.
Nov 21, 2017
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Agricultural Promotion Programs:
USDA Could Build on Existing Efforts to Further Strengthen Its OversightGAO-18-54: Published: Nov 21, 2017. Publicly Released: Nov 21, 2017.
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