Food Safety From Farm To Table: The Impact of The President’s Food-Safety Initiative On Public Health and Administrative Dietitians

Abstract

The American food supply is among the safest in the world. However, millions of Americans become ill from food-borne bacteria, viruses and parasites each year. Some of these microorganisms include; E. Coli 0157:H7, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Cyclospora, Listeria, Cryptosporidium, and viral Hepatitis A. Nine thousand of our most vulnerable citizens, namely very young children and the elderly, die every year as a result of microbiological contamination of the food they consume. The goal of the President's Food Safety Initiative is to reduce, to the greatest extent possible, the incidence of food borne illness. This goal will be accomplished through a series of seven initiatives: expansion of the food safety surveillance system, improved coordination between Federal, State and local health authorities, increased inspections, risk assessment, research, consumer education and strategic planning. This is an interagency undertaking which will involve coordinating the efforts of six federal agencies: two agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services–the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and three agencies under the Department of Agriculture–the Agricultural Research Service, the Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; and the Environmental Protection Agency. This poster session will highlight the seven areas of the food safety initiative and how they impact public health and the work of administrative and public health dietitians.