Everyone involved in the farm to table continuum has an interest in making our food safe to eat. Because safe food is important to consumers around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) has picked Food Safety as the theme of World Health Day 2015. Today, April 7th, as we observe World Health Day, it is important to take a moment to reflect on what a safe food supply means globally and domestically. WHO estimates that unsafe food causes 2 million deaths each year, with 1,000 of those deaths occurring in the United States. Here at USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), we focus on food safety day in and day out, working around the clock to prevent foodborne illness and protect public health.
In the United States, we are fortunate to have one of the safest food supplies in the world. In the last eight years, the U.S. has seen a decrease in the number of foodborne illnesses with 50,000 fewer reported illnesses since 2007. This decrease is the result of our work to develop innovative ways of educating consumers about safe food handling, our efforts to modernize how we inspect food, and the work we have done with establishments to prevent bacteria from contaminating food. We are committed to using an inspection system based in science—science that derives from the work of researchers and public health experts. It is important to remember how far we’ve come, but our work is not done.
Modernization is the key to our approach. From research to consumer education, modernization influences all the program areas at FSIS. Last week, FSIS released its new FoodKeeper smart phone application. The FoodKeeper application offers users valuable storage advice about nearly 500 food and beverage items. By providing information on proper storage times and cooking tips, FSIS can help consumers protect themselves and their loved ones from foodborne illness. The application is available for Android and Apple devices.
Since December 2013, FSIS has declared that reducing illnesses due to Salmonella is its number one priority. We have been working to meet the goals of our Salmonella Action Plan, developed as our blueprint to combat Salmonellosis, the foodborne illness that is most associated with the products we regulate. Meat, poultry, and processed egg products contribute to one-third of Salmonellosis cases in this country today. USDA is putting in place tighter Salmonella standards on the poultry industry than ever before to target, not just some, but all strains of Salmonella of human health concern. Other measures include requiring companies to do additional testing, placing inspectors in more strategic locations in food facilities, and testing parts such as breasts and wings rather than only whole birds. In 2014, there were nearly 33,000 fewer cases of Salmonella from USDA regulated products. We believe that the implementation of these standards will have a major impact on public health, preventing an estimated 50,000 illnesses annually.
As our food supply becomes increasingly global, it is vital that food safety remain a topic of conversation among industry, our international partners, and the public. FSIS, working with our partners in the United States and around the world, is accountable for preventing foodborne illness for over 300 million Americans and many consumers worldwide. USDA FSIS stands with WHO today and every day in ensuring that from farm to plate, food is safe and nutritious.