You must eat food every day in order to live. Do you ever wonder where your food comes from or how safe it is? You may not have given a second thought as to whether your food is safe and edible. In the past few years, many cases of food poisoning and bacteria outbreaks have occurred in
the United States. How serious is this problem? Are current food regulations and food safety standards good enough, or do they need to be
changed? Find articles online that discuss food supplies and food safety, and research four recent food outbreaks or recalls. Were there any
deaths? What populations are most at risk for illness from contaminated foods? What food was the culprit? How does food safety in the United
States compare to other countries around the world?
Write a two-page report that answers these questions. Explain your decision on whether the US food supply is safe or not and your reasons why.

Some people do not give a second thought as to where their food comes from or whether it is safe to eat. The populations most at risk for foodborne illness are infants, young children, pregnant women, and older adults. These populations have the highest mortality risk because of weakened immune systems. If you research the foodborne illness statistics for other countries, you’ll find that the number of illnesses and death is higher. Contaminated water and food may kill more than 3 million children.  

The United States imports much of its food (more than 40 percent) from other countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Canada, and Chile. Many factors, such as climate, low cost, and seasonality dictate our food imports. Two agencies inspect imported food items. The Food Safety Inspection Service (an agency in the United States Department of Agriculture) inspects all meats, poultry, and egg products, whereas the Food and Drug Administration regulates all other foods and food products. These departments are in charge of inspecting all foods for toxic bacteria. Many bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses originate from farms, processing plants, careless handling, and food preparation. Many of the animals, such as cattle and chickens, live in cramped, crowded environments and typically stand in their own manure, which promotes the spread of harmful bacteria and diseases. If one animal gets sick or has an infection, that animal puts all the other animals near it at risk. Farmers use antibiotics to treat the animals, which may weaken the effectiveness of those antibiotics on humans and makes dangerous bacteria increasingly resistant to them as well. Farmers also inject hormones into animals to increase their rate of growth. Although research shows that antibiotic and hormone treatments are safe in our food supply in the short term, scientists have not conducted enough research to know what the long-term effects are.  

The United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration also monitor foods manufactured or processed in the United States.  

Processed foods and foods people purchase from restaurants are popular in the United States. However, processed foods are at greater risk for contamination. For example, ground beef is more likely to be contaminated than a whole roast because ground beef has greater exposure to air during the grinding process, and there is greater surface area for bacteria to contact the meat. In the United States, 10 percent of chickens have salmonella and 65 percent of foods have campylobacter. In addition, improperly cleaned equipment is often the origin of foodborne illness. Employees do not always follow food safety practices, such as hand washing and sanitizing workstations, and people don’t always cook food at the correct temperature to ensure elimination of bacteria. For example, you should cook ground beef at a minimum temperature of 160°F. Potentially hazardous foods are pates, hot dogs, sliced deli meats, smoked fish, and soft cheeses because of listeria. Listeria is a particularly dangerous bacterium because it can grow in refrigerator temperatures; this is why it is important to cook foods properly. Thorough inspections of food at the point of slaughter, processing plants, and manufacturing factories are some of the methods used to prevent foodborne illnesses.

Government agencies aim to protect people and provide safe food. The United States has safe food, but outbreaks do exist and are of concern. Overall, the food supply is safe, but the greatest concern is the sanitation practices of food handlers. This may be the real culprit.

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