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Recommendations Tracker
HHS-OIG provides independent and objective oversight that promotes economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in HHS programs and operations. To drive this positive change, we produce reports and identify recommendations for improvement. We have developed this public-facing page for tracking all of our open recommendations.
Use the “Top Unimplemented” View below to read OIG’s Top Unimplemented Recommendations—a subset that we think, if implemented, would have the most impact (learn more). Notable differences from our previous Top Unimplemented Recommendations report include:
- The list is comprised of individual recommendations from OIG reports, not rolled up by topic.
- No arbitrary cap is imposed on the number of recommendations included.
- Status updates as recommendations are implemented.
Summary of All Recommendations
Updated Monthly · Last updated on November 15, 2024
1,306
Unimplemented
recommendations
2,698
Implemented and Closed
recommendations since FY 2017
Views
OIG Recommendations Grouped by Report
Showing 1–1 of 1 reports, containing 14 recommendations
Sorted by latest release date
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The Food and Drug Administration's Food-Recall Process Did Not Always Ensure the Safety of the Nation's Food Supply
18-A-01-040.01We recommend that FDA establish set timeframes, through its SCORE initiative, for (1) FDA to discuss the possibility of a voluntary recall with a firm and (2) FDA to initiate use of its mandatory recall authority after it has made the determination that the legal standard for use of that authority has been met and a firm is not willing to voluntarily conduct a recall.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 08/08/2019
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.02We recommend that FDA include in its recall audit plan a step to monitor when the recall alert was submitted to the RES in accordance with current FDA alert submission procedures and, if appropriate, take steps to encourage the recall staff's submission of the recall audit plan to the RES as soon as possible and preferably within 24 hours after learning of a firm-initiated recall.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 08/08/2019
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.03We recommend that FDA finalize its interim mandatory recall procedures and consider issuing guidance for FDA staff on those factors that staff should consider when determining whether there is a reasonable probability that a food could cause serious adverse health consequence or death.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 08/08/2019
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.04We recommend that FDA ensure, through its recall audit plan, that audit checks are issued at the level specified in the FDA audit program.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 11/03/2021
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.05We recommend that FDA develop procedures to determine whether a reconciliation of distribution lists to shipping records is necessary to ensure that FDA uses complete and accurate distribution lists when assigning audit checks.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 03/03/2020
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.06We recommend that FDA increase the use of third-party audit checks through its recall strategic plan.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 03/03/2020
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.07We recommend that FDA ensure, through its recall audit plan, that FDA district offices conducting audit checks follow procedures by completing audit check status updates and providing audit check reports, as directed by the recall coordinators.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 08/08/2019
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.08We recommend that FDA improve audit check tracking and monitoring using the RES or another FDA system.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 08/08/2019
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.09We recommend that FDA implement procedures to request status reports at the initiation of the recall and, through its recall audit plan, ensure FDA monitoring district offices follow up with firms that do not provide timely or complete status reports.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 07/06/2020
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.10We recommend that FDA develop a policy for defining and a procedure for identifying retrospectively the date that FDA learns of a potentially hazardous product and consider adding a field for the date to the RES or another FDA system so that FDA staff involved in managing a recall have access to this information.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 11/03/2021
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.11We recommend that FDA establish performance measures for the amount of time between the date FDA learns of a potentially hazardous product and the date a firm initiates a voluntary recall, monitor performance, and refine operating procedures, as needed.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 05/27/2022
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.12We recommend that FDA clarify the definition of “recall initiation date” in its policies and procedures and ensure a consistent understanding of “recall initiation date” among recall personnel.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 08/08/2019
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.13We recommend that FDA develop and implement a data quality assurance process, through its recall audit plan, to ensure that the RES contains accurate information.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 08/08/2019
- Legislative Related
- No
18-A-01-040.14We recommend that FDA consider the results of our review when implementing its recent SCORE initiative.- Status
- Closed Implemented
- Responsible Agency
- FDA
- Response
- Concur
- Potential Savings
- -
- Last Update Received
- -
- Closed Date
- 08/08/2019
- Legislative Related
- No