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One in a Series of Information Sheets from FDA
The Food and Drug Administration ensures the safety and wholesomeness of almost
80 percent of the United States food supply-all foods except meat, poultry and
some egg products, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The FDA does the job so well that American food is as safe as any in the world,
but changing tastes and other developments keep presenting the agency with new
challenges.
For example, Americans today eat a greater variety of imported foods than ever,
and they are relying more and more on commercially prepared food products. The
growing numbers of senior Americans have increased the proportion of the U.S.
population considered at risk for developing foodborne illness to 25 percent.
Scientists have identified more than five times as many foodborne pathogens
than were known 50 years ago; in addition, the FDA has recently confronted such
potentially serious food safety hazards as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies
(TSEs), chemical contaminants, pesticides, and food allergens.
Thanks to increased funding in recent years, the FDA and other federal, state
and local authorities have greatly strengthened the safety of the U.S. food
supply. With this food safety initiative, the FDA has:
For example, the FDA recently developed an educational campaign, "To Your
Health! Food Safety for Seniors," which is tailored to the unique information
needs of the growing U.S. elderly population. Responding to the increased American
consumption of imported food, the agency has conducted training seminars to
familiarize regulatory officials abroad with FDA's "good agricultural practices,"
identification of food contaminants, and other food safety topics they need
to know to make sure that foods exported from their countries to the United
States meet the U.S. safety standards.
Since prevention is the cornerstone of the agency's strategy for the reduction
of foodborne illness, the FDA's scientists are involved in cutting-edge research
projects focused on the development of a sound scientific basis for the agency's
public health decisions. All these activities have made the FDA's program for
pathogen reduction substantially stronger than it was as recently as three or
four years ago.
For more information, call the FDA's Food Information line, 1-888-SAFEFOOD (1-888-723-3366) or visit the FDA's Web site at www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fs-toc.html.
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 made the protection of the national food supply against willful contamination a top priority for the FDA. To fulfill this vital task, the agency has carried out or initiated the following actions:
Publication No. FS 02-11
February 2002