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Current Food Safety News
Testimony of Caroline Smith DeWaal before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry on the need to repair our food-safety system.
Mission StatementHazards in food cause an estimated 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year, most of which are never reported to public health officials. These illnesses cost American taxpayers approximately $6.9 billion annually in medical costs, hospitalizations, and lost work time according to the Economic Research Service (USDA). Despite advances in food production and processing, foodborne illnesses from hazards such as Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria, continue to be a significant public health problem. At greatest risk are older Americans, children, pregnant women and their unborn children, and those with compromised immune systems. Bioterrorism also poses a threat to the nation’s food supply. Food safety is a key area of focus for the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The mission of CSPI’s Food Safety Program is to ensure that government regulators, policy makers, and industry work harder to protect American consumers from the threats of food contamination and to reduce the burden of foodborne illnesses. The Food Safety Program lobbies Congress to strengthen current food safety laws and to adopt new ones to protect American consumers. In the regulatory arena, our petitions, comments, and participation in meetings are designed to encourage the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to tighten federal food safety programs and increase oversight of industry practices. The Food Safety Program also provides useful, up-to-date research to the public, policymakers, and regulators on food safety issues. CSPI’s publication, Outbreak Alert!, is an ongoing compilation of foodborne illnesses and outbreaks, organized by food categories is used by scientist and policymakers around the world. CSPI’s Food Safety Program has been in the forefront of advocating for a unified food safety agency in Washington and tougher laws covering meat, poultry, and seafood.  |