Federal Food Safety Regulation
Overview of the Current Structure
Americans spent more than $1 trillion on food in 2005, nearly half of it in restaurants, schools, and other places outside the home. Federal laws give food manufacturers, distributors, and retailers the basic responsibility for ensuring that foods are wholesome, safe, and handled under sanitary conditions. A number of Federal agencies, cooperating with State, local, and international entities, play a major role in regulating food quality and safety under these laws.The combined efforts of the food industry and the regulatory agencies often are credited with making the U.S. food supply among the safest in the world. Nonetheless, public health officials…
