Title 21Food and DrugsRelease 119-73

§2221 Food emergency response network

Title 21 › Chapter CHAPTER 27— - FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - IMPROVING CAPACITY TO DETECT AND RESPOND TO FOOD SAFETY PROBLEMS › § 2221

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary, working with the Secretaries of Agriculture and Homeland Security and with state, local, and tribal governments, must send a report to the relevant congressional committees and post it on the Department of Health and Human Services website no later than 180 days after January 4, 2011, and then every two years. The report must describe progress on creating a national food emergency response laboratory network. That network must watch for and quickly detect food threats and handle big outbreaks (including intentional contamination), link and coordinate state, local, and tribal food labs and new testing technologies with data sharing to build national situational awareness, provide timely and reliable lab services across the country, keep a shared methods repository for officials, respond to food emergencies, and connect with other federal lab networks.

Full Legal Text

Title 21, §2221

Food and Drugs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and State, local, and tribal governments shall, not later than 180 days after January 4, 2011, and biennially thereafter, submit to the relevant committees of Congress, and make publicly available on the Internet Web site of the Department of Health and Human Services, a report on the progress in implementing a national food emergency response laboratory network that—
(1)provides ongoing surveillance, rapid detection, and surge capacity for large-scale food-related emergencies, including intentional adulteration of the food supply;
(2)coordinates the food laboratory capacities of State, local, and tribal food laboratories, including the adoption of novel surveillance and identification technologies and the sharing of data between Federal agencies and State laboratories to develop national situational awareness;
(3)provides accessible, timely, accurate, and consistent food laboratory services throughout the United States;
(4)develops and implements a methods repository for use by Federal, State, and local officials;
(5)responds to food-related emergencies; and
(6)is integrated with relevant laboratory networks administered by other Federal agencies.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Secretary, referred to in text, probably means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

21 U.S.C. § 2221

Title 21Food and Drugs

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73