America has one of the safest and most abundant food supplies in
the world. But even in this country, too many people get sick
from the food they eat. This year, one in six Americans will get
food poisoning – that’s 48 million people. 128,000 will end up
in the hospital. And 3,000 will die. These aren’t just
statistics. These are real people, real families, impacted by
the food they put on the table. We can do better. Under the
leadership of President Obama, USDA and our federal partners are
more committed and united more than ever before to reduce the
rates of food-related illnesses. We are doing that, first of
all, by making sure the food industry provides the safest
products possible. We are strengthening America’s food safety
system with policies based in prevention, and building on best
practices that decrease potential risks. And we are continually
looking for ways to improve. But our food safety system isn’t
perfect, and given the nature of the products we regulate, the
risk isn’t zero. So in addition