Good nutrition and food safety are important consumer issues of the 1990's. Nutrition, food safety, and health are integrally related because no food is nutritious if it's not handled properly.
Overall, Americans enjoy a very safe food supply. USDA, the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, State and local Health Departments, and others are all working together to ensure that food is safe, wholesome, and accurately labeled.
Then why should consumers be concerned about food safety? Because even though food is inspected, it can contain bacteria that can cause illness if it is not handled properly. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, fruits, and vegetables may contain bacteria. These bacteria are present throughout our environment.
At the right temperature, in just a few hours, small amounts of bacteria that you can't see, smell, or taste can multiply to dangerous levels on food and cause foodborne illness, sometimes called food poisoning. Common symptoms of many foodborne illnesses are flu-like and include diarrhea, which prevents the body's absorption of the nutrients in food.
Everyone in the food chain plays a role in food safety. Most of us eat foods grown and packaged many miles away, yet safe handling of food is as critical in the home as it is in a processing plant, retail store, or restaurant. The food preparer—in homes, restaurants, and institutions—has the final control over the safety of the food on the family table.
The consumer's role in food safety starts at the point of purchase and ends with the disposal of leftovers. By following these basic rules and handling food safely, most food-borne illness can be prevented