Selected Federal Agencies with a Role in Food Safety The Food
Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is the public health agency
in the U.S. Department of Agriculture responsible for ensuring
that the nation's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg
products is safe, wholesome, and correctly labeled and packaged.
The FDA is charged with protecting consumers against impure,
unsafe, and fraudulently labeled products. FDA, through its
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), regulates
foods other than the meat, poultry, and egg products regulated
by FSIS. FDA is also responsible for the safety of drugs,
medical devices, biologics, animal feed and drugs, cosmetics,
and radiation emitting devices. CDC leads federal efforts to
gather data on foodborne illnesses, investigate foodborne
illnesses and outbreaks, and monitor the effectiveness of
prevention and control efforts in reducing foodborne illnesses.
CDC also plays a key role in building state and local health
department epidemiology, laboratory,