Industry and Government Roles in Food Safety Controls - A Perspective from Two Sides

摘要

I am deeply honored to be among the food safety professionals recognized by IAFP to give this prestigious food safety lecture. Let me preface my remarks with a disclaimer — the viewpoints expressed here should not be interpreted as reflecting the position of any of my employers, past or present. My perspectives will be those of someone who spent 29 years working for an industry food trade association and 3 years at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.The legal responsibility for producing safe food falls directly on those producing the food - the food industry. The government is not in the business of producing food -the government's role is that of verification that the industry is meeting its responsibility. However, there are food safety functions that each carry out that are very similar and that complement each other. Moreover, both industry and government have a common goal of ensuring a safe, abundant, nutritious food supply.