Food safety in the United States and abroad: an agriculturist's perspective.

The topic of food safety in the U.S. frequently is the lead story in the news media and continues to be an important issue for biological scientists of all disciplines. The emotional and sensational aspects of food safety often cloud the facts as reported by journalists. Because we increasingly depend on foreign countries for our food supply, and because of the commonly held belief in our society that foreign suppliers are not required to meet the safety criteria of U.S. regulatory agencies, it is important for agriculturalists with international expertise to offer objective views on the topic of food safety. This report contains the observations and views of one such scientist.