Food is necessary and can be quite enjoyable, but it must also be safe to eat. Unfortunately, about one out of six Americans gets sick from eating contaminated food at some point during the year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA's) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) work for one of the federal agencies that conducts research to help make the foods we eat safer. To help the public more easily access USDA food safety research information, the department’s National Agricultural Library’s (NAL's) Food Safety Research Information Office (FSRIO) has launched a new “Meet the Experts” online video collection available on the NAL website.
FSRIO has collected videos from a variety of sources and organized them in one repository. Current videos highlight ARS food safety research. FSRIO will add other videos to the collection that highlights research and food safety efforts from across USDA agencies.
Many foods must travel through different points between the farm and your plate. Lettuce, for example, is harvested from the field, cooled, processed and packaged, then transported to your grocery store where it is displayed in a cooler waiting for someone to buy it, transport it home or to a restaurant where it finally gets prepared and eaten. ARS scientists in the produce-safety videos discuss how their research is improving the safety of that lettuce all through its journey to the grocery display cooler.
Videos will gradually be added to the USDA's "Meet the Experts" website. You can view the current videos at NAL.USDA.gov.
