Recent actions by President Donald Trump’s administration, including staff cuts at the Food and Drug Administration, have raised questions among consumers about food safety in the United States.
Here is an explanation of how food safety inspection works in the U.S., and how Trump administration cuts to some health and safety programs are reshaping those efforts.
HOW DOES FOOD SAFETY WORK?
The FDA regulates the safety of 80% of the nation’s food supply, ranging from baby formula to leafy greens and food additives. The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the rest, focusing on animal products like meat and eggs.
The safety of the U.S. food supply is largely ensured by the people who produce it and companies that process it, according to experts who spoke to Reuters. Meat companies must have USDA inspectors in slaughter plants, and food manufacturers also conduct inspections to check that their products are safe.
Federal inspectors at the FDA perform periodic checks of food facilities and are also responsible, with state regulators and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for investigating outbreaks of foodborne illness.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE IS A FOODBORNE ILLNESS OUTBREAK?
It can all start with a stomachache or other symptoms that signal something is off. An individual may tough out their illness at home, but if they visit a doctor or hospital, their medical providers may collect samples to assess whether they have been infected with a pathogen from food.
Food can be contaminated in several ways. Fresh lettuce grown in fields can come in contact with manure from nearby livestock. Undercooked hamburger meat can contain bacteria. Materials such as plastic or wood can contaminate food items in factories. And allergens can be missing from product labels.
State health agencies may notice several reports of illness on surveillance systems and launch an investigation. They may also involve the CDC, which can monitor whether other states are seeing cases of foodborne illness. The CDC can coordinate with affected states to help determine the origin of the outbreak.
