When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rolled out its long-anticipated New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint in mid-July, there, tucked into the Four Core Elements of the plan, was the concept of domestic mutual reliance. The New Era of Smarter Food Safety represents a new approach to food safety, leveraging technology and other tools to create an integrated, safer, and more digital, traceable food system. 

The plan states, “The themes of mutual reliance between federal and state partners and the importance of food safety culture are woven throughout.” The plan outlines FDA’s intent to build on existing efforts to partner with states that have comparable regulatory and public health systems, leveraging each other’s data and analytics to ensure optimal use of resources and maximize the food safety reach of both the states and FDA (see “The Math of Mutual Reliance,” p. 37).