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As of October 25, 2020, there are 4812 open recommendations, of which 473 are priority recommendations. Recommendations remain open until they are designated as Closed-implemented or Closed-not implemented.
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Recommendation: The Commissioner of FDA should establish a process for the agency to communicate directly with all U.S.-based commercial airlines, including regional airlines, to encourage them to request construction inspections to ensure compliance with the agency's standards for the sanitary construction of aircraft galleys and lavatories. (Recommendation 1)
Agency: Department of Health and Human Services: Food and Drug Administration Status: Open
Comments: HHS concurs with GAO's recommendation. FDA agrees that enhancing communication with U.S.-based commercial airlines, including major national and regional commuter airlines, to encourage them to request construction inspections can have a positive impact on efforts to gain compliance with the Agency's standards for aircraft galley and lavatory sanitation and potable water system installation. FDA has a long history of working collaboratively with interstate travel conveyance stakeholders to provide public health oversight to the industry. As part of this collaboration, FDA and the airline industry connect through a variety of mechanisms to provide access to diverse industry partners. To effectively engage all relevant stakeholders, FDA will consider ways to enhance current mechanisms and coordinate with airlines on better communication. FDA will review its existing outreach channels to allow airline stakeholders to actively and directly engage with the Agency on construction inspections. FDA will review its Interstate Travel Program website to determine if updates can be made to emphasize airline construction and reconstruction information. FDA maintains open dialog with airline organizations, including the Airlines for America (A4A), the Regional Airline Association (RAA), and the International Flight Services Association (IFSA). Members of A4A are comprised of major national airlines, whereas those of RAA are comprised of regional commuter airlines and those in IFSA include airlines and airline food suppliers. These industry associations are valuable partners in developing solutions to problems that concern the airlines and airline construction. FDA will continue to engage with these organizations in written correspondence and at relevant national industry meetings (such as the Environmental Protection Agency biennial meeting on aircraft drinking water safety) and will include the topic of construction inspections. FDA will also continue to use these existing mechanisms to develop a better communication process with the airline industry on its efforts to improve industry practice and government oversight.
