摘要：The main goal of food safety policy is to reduce the damages that would result from ingestion of contaminated food. Prevention of contamination is one approach to reducing potential damages. The majority of policies governing food safety have focused on preventing foodborne illnesses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulate many food production processes and monitor much of the output from the food industry in an attempt to prevent harmful products from reaching the market. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations governing the use of pesticides on food are aimed at not allowing more than a certain number of additional cases of illness (usually on the order of one additional case per million per lifetime; see National Academy of Sciences (1987) for a more thorough explanation of EPA regulations). These regulations are extensive and highly specific.
