To evaluate how well the government uses science to protect the food
supply, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), working with
researchers at Iowa State University, sent a 44-question survey to
nearly 8,000 food safety employees at the FDA and U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA), which together oversee our food system. More than
1,700 employees responded.

The results reveal a food safety system where special interests and
public officials all too often inhibit the ability of government
scientists and inspectors to protect the food supply.

The August 2010 recall of shell eggs due to
Salmonella contamination, as well as the 2006 outbreak of illness due to
Escherichia
coli
in spinach, has brought the topic of food safety into the public
spotlight. Roughly 76 million Americans still suffer from foodborne
illnesses each year.

While many of these illnesses are mild, they result in more than
300,000 hospitalizations and some 5,000 deaths annually (Mead et al.
1999). A recent study by a former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) economist puts the total pricetag of foodborne illness related to produce in the United States at $152 billion annually (Scharf 2010).

Because of globalization and the complexity of our food supply chain,
foodborne disease outbreaks today are more widespread and difficult to
isolate than in the past. Food policy experts agree that the market
cannot regulate itself. Some food producers prioritize profits over
public health, and consumers typically do not have the ability to
identify contaminated food by sight or smell.