Summary
In light of the current conditions of agricultural cultivating techniques and technological advancements, the problem of inappropriate food production is becoming more acute. As a result, such agencies as FDA, USDA, and EPA are responsible for making it possible to oversee the processes of food cultivation, harvesting, transportation, and import. The aim of these agencies is to ensure food safety not only for people but for animals too. Thus, there are plenty of operations, including rules and regulations, to aid this objective.
FDA Operations to Ensure Food Safety
The significant FDA Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 (FSMA) mandates a new strategy to ensure the safety of human and animal foods and avoid foodborne disease epidemics (FDA, 2017). Under the completed guidelines for implementing FSMA, food manufacturers will be expected to identify potential risks and establish precautionary measures to eliminate or mitigate them. Science-based regulations have been created for food cultivation, harvesting, and shipping. Other measures were also established in order to enhance control of imported produce.
With the help of the FDA, animals and people are better protected against contaminated animal food. The Preventive Controls for Animal Food regulation requires suppliers of animal food, particularly pet food, to apply the same careful preparation used to identify and avoid dangers in the growth of human food (FDA, 2017). It will be considerably safer for both the animal and anybody consuming the product if animal food manufacturers have systems and procedures to eradicate dangerous microorganisms.
Moreover, the consumption of healthy produce and the growing of this organic produce are intertwined and are regulated by FDA. The Produce Safety regulation specifies the science-based necessary requirement for the proper cultivation, harvesting, packaging, and storage of products on farms in order to reduce infection (FDA, 2017). Farms, unlike factories, are natural ecosystems with variables that farmers cannot always oversee. On the other hand, the Produce Safety Rule specifies activities that may and must be performed to reduce the probability of contamination in realistic and possible ways for farmers.
Lastly, FDA ensures that the products imported from foreign nations are subject to increased scrutiny. Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) and Accredited Third-Party Certification, two new standards impacting imports, significantly improve the FDA’s control of imported goods (FDA, 2017). The first regulation mandates importers to take more responsibility for ensuring that the products they import into the country satisfy the exact requirements of domestic manufacturers. The second regulation creates an optional process for third-party accreditation bodies to be certified to undertake food safety audits.
USDA Operations to Ensure Food Safety
This nation’s agricultural environment is constantly evolving, and the USDA is concerned with managing such developments in various food manufacturing and distribution domains. USDA inspects domestic products, imports, and exports, conducts evaluations, and informs the community about the significance of product safety. For example, The USDA strives to safeguard citizens from the hazards of E. coli exposure by implementing a zero-tolerance approach for six more forms of the virus [E. coli O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145] in raw meats (USDA, n.d.). They are prohibited in the same way as E. coli O157:H7 is (USDA, n.d.). In March 2012, efforts began to identify these deadly infections and prohibit them from affecting people.
Additionally, the establishment of a “test and hold” policy in December 2012 reduced food crises. The product must now be held in institutions until microbiological analysis determines that it is safe to move the goods, including meats, poultry, and egg produce, into the market (USDA, n.d.). This measure will minimize public exposure to hazardous meat products dramatically. From 2007 to 2009, the regulation could have averted 44 product issues.
EPA Operations to Ensure Food Safety
When it comes to EPA, the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to guarantee that all pesticides used on foods fulfill the FQPA’s high safety standards. Pesticides are commonly used in food production to manage parasites such as insects, rodents, grasses, viruses, mildew, and fungus (US EPA, 2021). FQPA demands an affirmative conclusion that a pesticide’s utilization on produce is safe for children to compensate for ambiguity in data relating to children. Moreover, it must contain a different safety ratio unless data demonstrate an alternative attribute to be safe.
The FQPA of 1996 mandated the EPA to comprehensively evaluate residue levels on foods, with particular attention on children’s unique sensitivity. Between 1996 and 2006, the EPA utilized safety criteria to prohibit or limit the use of 270 pesticides for home and food use because they present special risks to children and infants (US EPA, 2021). It also reduced the allowable pesticide residual levels in numerous child-friendly foods, such as apples, grapes, and potatoes. What is more, the FQPA safety regulations may not be the only cause the Agency has been willing to handle so many actions in past years to decrease children’s exposure to pesticides. Once a pesticide has been recorded for a particular use, it is not allowed to go unattended. The EPA launched a comprehensive reassessment of all previous pesticides in 2007.
Hence, multiple agencies manage the food cultivation, harvesting, supply, and import in order to ensure their safety. This way, FDA’s regulations, including the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011, the Preventive Controls for Animal Food regulation, the Produce Safety regulation, certifications, and programs, ensure food safety for people and animals. USDA’s regulations include the E.coli prohibition regulation of March 2012 and the “test and hold” food crises policy of December 2012. Lastly, EPA’s operations are determined to manage pesticides level and include the FQPA residue level regulation of 1996 and the EPA pesticide reassessment regulation of 2007.
References
FDA. (2017). The operational strategy for implementing the FDA food safety modernization act (FSMA). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Web.
USDA. (n.d.). Health and safety. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Web.
US EPA. (2021). Food and pesticides. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Web.