As we continue to recognize World Health Day’s focus on food safety, it cannot be expressed enough how global an issue this is. In the U.S. alone, much of our food supply is imported from other countries--specifically 20 percent of of vegetables, half of our fresh fruit and a whopping 80 percent of our seafood.
There are many organizations that work tirelessly 24/7 in an effort to keep food safe.
Centers for Disease Control
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
World Trade Organization
There’s also a massive population of food producers, manufacturers and other key industry players that work with these agencies to deliver safe food products to consumers. Through these agencies and organizations, a number of partnerships have evolved for the purpose of improving food safety across the world:
Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance
Produce Safety Alliance
Sprouts Safety Alliance
World Bank’s Global Food Safety Partnership
The FDA itself plays a key part in what foods are and are not accepted into the U.S. In fact, the agency is responsible for ensuring the safety of $1 trillion worth of products in the U.S. each year.
The FDA also has ongoing relationships with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Mexico to work on international food safety systems and operations.
See more of Food Safety Magazine’s coverage of World Health Day.