illustration of a grocery basket with food with a shield in front of it

FACT SHEET

Food Safety in America

Grocery shoppers can have confidence that the United States has one of the safest food systems in the world. 

Food safety is a collective responsibility. Every stakeholder in the food system – from farmers to shippers, grocers to restaurants, regulators to consumers – has an important role to play in maintaining the safety of America’s food.

We take our role seriously. Food safety is a top priority for the food industry and maintaining the confidence of customers is essential to the success of any food business. Ensuring food safety requires consistent evaluation, investments in modern technologies, training, certification and audits to maintain consumer trust.

U.S. government oversight is just part of the equation, as public-private partnerships are critical to the integrity of the food supply and supporting consumer confidence.

The E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in the mid 90’s transformed the food industry and spurred government regulations and the practice of food safety.

  • In 1996, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems regulation for meat and poultry establishments.
  • In 2011, the FDA followed with the implementation and publication of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

The HACCP and FSMA rules represented a significant change in the way food is regulated and produced, shifting the focus from a reactive to a proactive approach to food safety.

The food industry has long committed to training and implementing sciencebased practices while foods are in their control. Across the food industry, a significant amount of energy and resources are allocated to constantly improving food safety practices to maintain the highest standard as we work diligently to serve our customers.

Virtually all food retailers (98%) rely on food safety training programs to educate their associates on food safety practices.

  • The highest food safety standards at the retail level are maintained through rigorous training. FMI’s SafeMark® training program alone boasts tens of thousands of certified food managers across more than 11,000 grocery stores.
  • Additionally, we have upheld a global food safety management program within the manufacturing sector, and we expanded our reach across other segments within the supply chain in recent years, including produce operations, storage and distribution centers, food packaging manufacturers, and foodservice and retail operations. In all, prevention of foodborne illness is the primary goal to help safeguard Americans.
  • Regulations support industry efforts to safeguard the food supply and assure all food is as safe as possible while providing consumers with important safeguards to enhance confidence in our food system. By working together and sharing responsibility, industry and regulatory agencies have a vested interest in the safety of food to achieve a positive impact on public health.

FMI has been committed to a safe, nutritious and affordable food supply for decades.

In 1997, FMI joined 13 other organizations as a founding member of the Partnership for Food Safety Education and signed on to an agreement to create the framework for collaboration, developing science-based, consumer-oriented messages to promote safe food handling practices and reduce the risk of foodborne illness. 

Consumers play a major role in preventing foodborne illness.

  • According to a national survey of grocery shoppers, Americans assign the responsibility for food safety to many parties along the food supply chain, including government organizations, manufacturers and food stores.
  • Shoppers also view themselves as playing an important role in keeping food safe, with most Americans citing that they hold themselves most accountable for ensuring food safety (54%).

As one of the most trusted consumer food safety education organizations, the Partnership for Food Safety Education created the Fight BAC! initiative based around four core food safety messages: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill with resources and tools at fightbac.org.

The Partnership’s The Story of Your Dinner campaign also provides a variety of food safety tips and information about the importance of food safety from farm to table. 

www.FMI.org/FoodSafety | www.FightBAC.org