Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
the United States from Canada. The identification of this animal increased surveil-
lance in the United States and banned particular materials from entering the food
supply. To date, there have been no cases of BSE reported in Mexico.
The approach to genetically modified foods in this region differs from the view
held in the European Union. In Canada, any genetically modified food must be made
known by notifying the Health Products and Food Branch. This branch will con-
duct a safety assessment of the product prior to marketing. In Mexico, the Comision
Intersecretarial de Bioseguridad y Organismos Geneticamante Modificados over-
sees genetically modified foods.
In the United States, the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) all play a role in oversight of geneti-
cally modified plants. Approximately 40% of field corn, 80% of soybeans, and 73%
of cotton grown in the United States is genetically engineered (CSPI, 2005). The
FDA ensures that plants are safe for human consumption.
In the United States and Canada, consumer education plays an important role in
controlling food safety issues. In the United States, the Fight BAC! campaign is a
partnership among government and consumer and industry organizations to provide
consumers with safe food-handling information. In Canada, a governmental agency,
the Canadian Partnership for Food Safety Education, was formed, and it launched a
Fight BAC! in 1998 (Fight BAC!, 1998).
Mexico also has a limited amount of information available to consumers for edu-
cational efforts. The Office for Consumers' Communication has been formed to edu-
cate consumers on safe food-handling practices.
In North America, regulatory agencies and a wide array of food safety laws govern
the way food is handled from farm to table. Health Canada administers food safety
regulatory standards in Canada under the Food and Drugs Act. The minister of agri-
culture oversees the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency), which is responsible
for inspections and oversight of food safety regulations in Canada.
In 2001, Mexico formed the National Service of Agro-food Safety and Quality,
which provides oversight for food safety regulations. This is a relatively new group
that was formed to improve food safety standards in Mexico.
The most complicated regulatory structure is in the United States. Both the USDA
and the FDA play a role in oversight of food safety policy. The USDA primarily over-
sees meat and poultry production, while the FDA has oversight over other food prod-
ucts. This is somewhat of a generalization because 12 different government agencies
are involved at some point with food safety policy.
In the United States, recalls of product are voluntary. The recalls are not initiated by
either the USDA or the FDA, but by the food-processing company. This system allows
the processing plant to identify their internal problems and take action when necessary.
conclusIon
There are food safety issues in every segment of the world. In very general terms, it
appears that in developing countries, the problem could be solved with the establish-
ment of government agencies and a set of standards to control food safety issues.
However, the problem goes beyond this because even in industrialized countries with
