Safe Food Act of 2018

This bill establishes the Food Safety Administration (FSA) as an independent agency to administer and enforce food safety laws.

The functions of specified federal agencies that relate to the administration or enforcement of food safety laws are transferred to the FSA.

The FSA is directed to:

• promulgate regulations to protect the food supply from contamination;
• implement federal food safety inspection, labeling, enforcement, and research efforts to protect the public health;
• develop consistent and science-based standards for safe food;
• prioritize federal food safety efforts and deployment of resources to achieve the greatest benefit in reducing foodborne illness;
• administer a national food safety program based on an analysis of the hazards associated with different foods and the processing of different foods;
• require that all food and feed facilities register before operation or importation of food, feed, or ingredients;
• establish an accreditation system for foreign governments seeking to certify food for importation to the United States;
• establish requirements for tracing food and animals from point of origin to retail sale;
• establish and administer a food safety technology program to foster innovations with the potential to improve food safety;
• maintain or access an active surveillance system of food and epidemiological evidence;
• establish a sampling system to monitor contaminants in food;
• rank categories of food based on their health hazard;
• establish a national public education campaign on food safety; and
• conduct research relating to food safety.

This bill includes provisions regarding prohibited acts, recall authority, penalties for violations of food safety laws, whistle-blower protection, and civil actions.