On July 3, 1998, President Clinton directed the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a plan to create a Joint Institute for Food Safety Research. The Institute is to: (1) coordinate planning and priority setting for food safety research among the two Departments, other government agencies, and the private sector and (2) foster effective translation of research results into practice along the farm-to-table continuum. The ultimate goal of the Institute is to coordinate food safety research, such that the incidence of foodborne illness is reduced to the greatest extent feasible. The result of the these coordinated and expanded efforts will be the more efficient delivery of the scientific information needed to develop effective food safety guidance, policies, and regulations in support of public health goals.