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The Toxics Directory - Food Safety

General Food Safety

Biotechnology in Food Information Sources

Pesticides in Food

(See also, section on pesticides)

General Food Safety

Carcinogenic Potency Project

University of California Berkeley
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Center

http://potency.berkeley.edu/cpdb.html

The Carcinogenic Potency Project provides a resource on the results of chronic animal tests for carcinogenicity and interpretation of the data. This includes consideration of the relative toxicity and hazard of both natural and synthetic chemicals in our diet.

EdNet

EdNet, the National Food Safety Educator’s Network, is the federal government’s electronic network for providing food safety information to educators.

http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/fsgkids.html

Food and Agriculture, California Department of

The California Department of Food and Agriculture
Office of Public Affairs
1220 N Street, #100
Sacramento, California 95814
(916) 654-0462

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/ah/food_safety.htm

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the California Department of Health Services have significant responsibilities for the health and safety of California consumers and continue to work in partnership to assure the safety of the food supply. The department works closely with the agriculture industry.

Food and Drug Administration, U.S.

National Headquarters:
5600 Fisher Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857
Consumer Information: (888) 463-6332
Product Complaint (301) 443-1240

http://www.fda.gov/default.htm

San Francisco District
1431 Harbor Bay Parkway
Alameda, California 94502-7070
(510) 337-6700 (same for emergency answering service after business hours)
(510) 337-6845

Los Angeles District
19900 MacArthur Boulevard, Suite 300
Irvine, California 92612-2445
(949) 798-7600 (same for emergency answering service after business hours)

The U.S. Department of Food and Drug Administration (U.S. DA) inspects manufacturing plants and warehouses, collects and analyzes samples of foods, drugs, import cosmetics, and therapeutic devices for adulteration and misbranding. Responsibilities also extend to sanitary preparation and handling of foods, and waste disposal on interstate carriers and enforcement of the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act as related to consumer products. Investigations are conducted to determine causative factors or possible health hazards involved in adverse reactions or illnesses. Investigators are located in the district offices and throughout the state. Analytical laboratories are located in the two district offices.

Food and Drug Branch

California Department of Health Services
601 North Seventh Street
Sacramento, California 94234-7320
(916) 445-2263
Fax: (916) 221-6326

Regional Offices:
2151 Berkeley Way, Room 610
Berkeley, California 94704
(510) 540-2261
Fax: (510) 540-3011

801 I St., Rm. 443
Sacramento, California 95814
(916) 445-1543

1449 W. Temple Street, Room 224
Los Angeles, California 90026
(213) 580-5720
Fax: (213) 580-5750

The Food and Drug Branch is responsible for public protection programs for food, drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, hazardous household products, and cancer quackery. Programs are designed to prevent manufacture, distribution, and sale of adulterated, misbranded or falsely advertised products. Activities include but are not limited to investigation of complaints, routine inspection of facilities, licensing of a variety of manufacturers, and preparation of materials relevant to court actions. The Branch is headquartered in Sacramento and has 13 district offices. Food and drug investigators are located throughout the state and may be called into service at any time.

Food-borne Illness Education Information Center

http://fsrio.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=1&tax_level=1&tax_subject=601

The U.S. DA/U.S. FDA Food-borne Illness Education Information Center at the National Agricultural Library is an information center of consumer and food worker educational materials developed by universities, private industries, and local, state, and federal agencies. The center has computer software, audiovisuals, posters, games, and teaching guides for elementary and secondary school education; training materials for the management and workers of retail food markets, food service establishments and institutions; and educational research.

Foodsafe

http://www.foodsafetyweb.info/foodsafe

Foodsafe is an interactive electronic discussion group sponsored by U.S. FDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and NAL that links professionals interested in food safety issues.

FoodSafety.gov Web site

http://www.foodsafety.gov/

FoodSafety.gov Web site is a gateway to federal, state, and local government food safety information, including contact numbers to report food problems. The site provides links to selected government food safety-related information. This Web site is part of the National Food Safety Information Network and is maintained by the U.S. FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (See also FDA listed under Environmental Health Organizations.)

International Food Information Council Foundation

1100 Connecticut Avenue N.W., Suite 430
Washington, DC 20036

http://ific.org/

The purpose of the International Food Information Council Foundation is to bridge the gap between science and communications by collecting and disseminating scientific information on food safety, nutrition and health and by working with an extensive roster of scientific experts to help translate research into understandable and useful information for opinion leaders and ultimately, consumers. The foundation takes calls from reporters, but others may communicate by e-mail to foodinfo@ific.health.org.

Outreach and Information Center

1-(888)-SAFEFOOD

http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html

The Outreach and Information Center is a toll-free telephone service that helps provide information to the public and answers consumer and industry questions about food (excluding meat and poultry), seafood, and cosmetics. The Outreach and Information Center is operated by U.S. FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The information line includes more than 200 hours of newly recorded information on all CFSAN issues and regulated products. The system also offers more than one hundred CFSAN documents over fax or Web site. Information specialists will take calls directly from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. business days.

Seafood Network Information Center

http://seafood.ucdavis.edu

The Seafood Network Information Center is hosted at the University of California and is sponsored by the California Sea Grant College Program, University of California Cooperative Extension, and Food Science and Technology Department, University of California, Davis. The site focuses on seafood safety and technology issues. Web site only; no phone calls.

USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline

USDA - FSIS
Room 2925 South
1400 Independence Ave. SW
Washington, D.C. 20250

(800)-535-4555 (voice)
(202) 720-3333 (Washington, DC area)
(800)-256-7072 (TDD/TTY)

http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/meat.html

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/index.htm

This hotline is a toll-free telephone service supported by USDA that helps consumers prevent food-borne illness, specifically by answering questions about safe storage, handling, and preparation of meat and poultry products. Callers may speak with a food safety specialist from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, weekdays. Recorded messages are available at all times.

Biotechnology in Food Information Sources

American Council on Science and Health

1995 Broadway, Second floor
New York, New York 10023-5860
(212) 362-7044
FAX: (212)362-4919

http://www.acsh.org/index.html

The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) is a nonprofit organization that analyses and presents information on significant and controversial health issues. As their publicity states, "ACSH was founded in 1978 by a group of scientists who had become concerned that many important public policies related to health and the environment did not have a sound scientific basis. These scientists created the organization to add reason and balance to debates about public health issues and bring common sense views to the public. ACSH receives financial support from about 300 different sources, including foundations, trade associations, corporations and individuals. ACSH accepts unrestricted grants on the condition that it is solely responsible for the conduct of its research and the dissemination of its work to the public."

Biotechnology Industry Organization

1625 K Street, NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 857-0244

http://www.bio.org/welcome.html

This industry-supported organization provides news, events, services, and information.

Center for Food Safety

The Center for Food Safety
666 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Suite 302
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 547-9359
FAX: (202) 547-9429

http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/home.cfm

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) is a public interest and environmental advocacy organization that works to address the impacts of our food production system on human health, animal welfare, and the environment. CFS works to achieve its goals through grassroots campaigns, public education, media outreach, and litigation.

Greenpeace

702 H Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20001
(202)-462-1177
FAX: (202) 462-4507

http://www.greenpeace.org/

Greenpeace has extensive literature on genetically engineered food.

U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. Department of Agriculture
14th & Independence Ave. SW
Washington, DC 20250
(202) 720-4623

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ and
http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic/

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of U.S. DA is the government’s lead agency regulating the safe testing, under controlled circumstances, of biotechnology-derived, new plant varieties. A company, academic or research institution, non-profit organization or public sector scientist wishing to field test or move a biotechnology-derived plant must generally obtain APHIS approval before proceeding. APHIS is responsible for protecting American agriculture against pests and diseases. The agency regulates the field-testing of genetically engineered plants and certain microorganisms. APHIS also approves and licenses veterinary biological substances, including animal vaccines that may be the product of biotechnology. Other federal agencies that regulate biotechnology include the following (see their full listings elsewhere):

U.S. DA’s FSIS ensures the safety of meat and poultry consumed as food.

U.S. FDA governs the safety and labeling of drugs and the nation’s food and feed supply, excluding meat and poultry.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) ensures the safety and safe use of pesticidal and herbicidal substances in the environment and for certain industrial uses of microbes in the environment.

The National Institutes of Health have developed guidelines for the laboratory use of genetically engineered organisms. While these guidelines are generally voluntary, they are mandatory for any research conducted under federal grants and they are widely followed by academic and industrial scientists around the world.

Union of Concerned Scientists

2 Brattle Square
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02238
(617) 547-5552

http://www.ucsusa.org/index.cfm

The Union of Concerned Scientists looks closely at the agricultural products that genetic engineering has brought and asks questions about their risks and benefits and whether other alternatives would accomplish the same purpose. In particular, it asks whether each product will move agriculture toward sustainability or whether it might block progress in that direction.

University of California, Davis, Biotechnology Web Site

Center for Consumer Research
Food Science and Technology Department
University of California, Davis
1 Shields Ave
Davis, California 95616-8598
(530) 752-2774
FAX: (530) 752-3975

http://ccr.ucdavis.edu/biot/index.html

The Web page on biotechnology was developed by the Center for Consumer Research. The center focuses on consumer attitudes toward food safety and quality. Increased information on consumer attitudes and perceptions can increase the exchange between those who provide goods and services and those who utilize them. Research findings lay the basis for more effective information dissemination and public policy. Projects have focused on consumer attitudes toward new techniques, food safety, food labeling, nutritional issues, and produce quality. The center has another Web page on food irradiation at http://ccr.ucdavis.edu/irr/index.html.

Pesticides in Food

Environmental Working Group

1718 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 667-6982
FAX: (202) 232-2592

http://www.ewg.org

The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit environmental group with offices in Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Seattle that prepares in-depth analyses of toxicity issues. One particular focus has been exposures of children to pesticides. Their San Francisco office can be contacted at (415) 561-6698; their reports can be downloaded from their Web site.

Office of Pesticide Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Communication Science Branch (7506 C)
401 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20460
(703) 305-5017
(800) 858-7378 (publications)

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/food/
Information resources: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/info.htm

The brochure offered by this U.S. EPA office is a good starting place to the subject of pesticides in food. There is much more to explore on the Web site.

 
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