Food Safety: FDA's Use of Faster Tests to Assess the Safety of Imported Foods

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) use of rapid tests to screen and identify potentially unsafe imported foods before they enter the domestic food supply, focusing on: (1) the rapid tests used to screen foods for pathogens such as bacteria, parasites, and viruses; (2) FDA's use of these tests, particularly at ports of entry; and (3) factors that may limit FDA's expanded use of rapid tests for foodborne pathogens.