Protecting food safety: more needs to be done to keep pace with scientific advances and the changing food supply

Abstract

Foodborne illness and the health risks from chemicals in food are a concern. However, food safety statutes largely unchanged for more than forty years are failing to keep pace with scientific advances and the changing food supply. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, enacted in January 2011, is intended to help reduce foodborne illness by establishing new prevention measures for food regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Additional funding is needed so that the agency has enough resources to help realize the law's potential. Furthermore, key food safety issues untouched by the 2011 statute, including restrictions on antibiotic use in animal agriculture, laws governing meat and poultry safety, and requirements governing the use of chemicals in food, should be reviewed and updated as necessary-using up-to-date science-to tighten the focus on preventing disease.