Basic Food Safety

CSREES' objective in food safety is to increase our understanding of disease-causing microorganisms, their products, and naturally occurring toxicants and chemical contaminants in meats, poultry, seafood, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Food safety concerns cover a broad spectrum of areas from food production to processing, distribution, and consumption.

There is a critical need to increase our understanding of the ecology of foodborne pathogens, their products, naturally occurring toxicants and chemical contaminants, such as pesticides and antibiotics and other drug residues, so better intervention strategies and practical accurate detection methods can be developed. Other important issues include determining mechanisms that lead to antibiotic resistance and understanding the impact of economic factors on the incidence of foodborne illness.

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