Food Safety on the Farm: Federal Programs and Selected Proposals

Geoffrey S. Becker
Specialist in Agricultural Policy

Foodborne illness-causing bacteria on farms can enter the food supply unless preventive measures are in place to reduce them, either prior to or after harvest. Also of potential risk to the food supply are pesticide residues, animal drugs, and naturally occurring contaminants such as aflatoxin. 

Interest in on-farm practices was renewed after more than 1,300 persons in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada were found to be infected with the same unusual strain of bacteria (Salmonella Saintpaul) in April-July 2008. Officials first suspected fresh tomatoes as the vehicle and later expanded their concerns to fresh jalapeño and serrano peppers. By late July 2008, genetic tests confirmed the pathogen on samples of a serrano pepper and irrigation water from a farm in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Agricultural operations in the United States have been implicated in several past outbreaks of foodborne illness. 

Food safety experts agree that an effective, comprehensive food safety system should include consideration of potential hazards at the farm level. However, opinions differ on the need, if any, for more stringent, government-enforced safety standards for farms, as exist for processors and others in the food chain. This question and others, such as the potential cost of new interventions to producers, taxpayers, and consumers, are at issue as Congress debates food safety legislation. 

The lead federal food safety agencies are the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which regulates major species of meat and poultry and some egg products, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which regulates virtually all other foods. Generally, these agencies' regulatory oversight of foods begins after the farm gate, at slaughter establishments and food handling and manufacturing facilities. However, various activities of these and other federal agencies involved in assuring the safety of the food supply can, and do, have an impact on how farms and ranches raise food commodities. 

In the 111th Congress, comprehensive bills are progressing that could affect farmers and ranchers. On June 10, 2009, a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee marked up and approved H.R. 2749, which is based largely on provisions of an earlier version (H.R. 759) by the same sponsor. H.R. 2749 would require the establishment of new standards for the production of some fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fungi. Other provisions of H.R. 2749 that focus more broadly on food safety, such as requiring a new food tracing system, and expanding authority for access to records, also could impact on-farm practices. The full Energy and Commerce Committee further amended and approved H.R. 2749 on June 17, 2009, and the full House passed the measure— with additional changes made by the bill's sponsors to address agricultural interests' concerns— on July 30, 2009. 

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee marked up its food safety measure (S. 510) on November 18, 2009, reporting it on December 18, 2009. Provisions in this bill also would affect on-farm production, including but not limited to a section requiring produce safety standards. 


Date of Report: February 25, 2010
Number of Pages: 20
Order Number: RL34612
Price: $29.95


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