Food Safety
Food safety is the work of keeping the food supply from causing illness or harm, from the farm to the store shelf to the kitchen. Government inspectors, scientists, and health officials set standards, check food and the places that handle it, and respond when something goes wrong. The Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Agriculture lead at the federal level.
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Topics in Food Safety
Rules and labels
Food Safety Regulation covers inspections, recalls, and standards, Meat and Poultry Inspection covers oversight of meat and poultry plants, and Food Labeling covers what packages must tell buyers.
All Articles on Food Safety
What Organic, Natural, and Gluten-Free Labels Actually Mean on Food Packages
Walk through any American grocery store and you'll face a wall of claims plastered across food packages. "Organic," "Natural," and "Gluten-Free" labels jump out…
Behind the FDA’s Work to Inspect Food Facilities
FDA food inspections examine facilities, preventive controls and corrective action. Public records show findings, while oversight exposes gaps in follow-up.
Animal Drug and Food Safety
The health of your family dog, the safety of the nation's milk and meat supply, and the development of life-saving medicines for backyard chickens…
How to Read Nutrition Labels
The black-and-white box on every packaged food and beverage is one of the most powerful public health tools the FDA has ever created. The…
What to Do When Your Food Gets Recalled
The United States has one of the safest food supplies in the world, but the complex journey from farm to table means problems can…
Reporting Food Problems to the Government
When you bite into a sandwich and find a piece of glass, or when your family gets sick after eating contaminated produce, your report…
Understanding the USDA Organic Certification Process: Rules and Costs
The demand for organic products in the United States continues to grow, with domestic sales surpassing $69.7 billion in 2023. For farmers, ranchers, processors,…