Government Food Safety
Everyone has a role in Food Safety
Everyone has a role in keeping food safe, from the farmer to the consumer. CDFA oversees the safety of California's milk and milk products, it also assures that meat inspection not covered by USDA is safe. The Department works closely with many agricultural commodity groups to develop safe and efficient methods of food production via voluntary, proactive quality assurance programs.
The U.S. food safety system is complex, being composed of many federal, state, and local stakeholders, including agriculture, health, and environmental agencies. It is not uncommon for several agencies to play roles in assuring the safety of a single food commodity from farm to fork.
Animal and Plant Products
Regulations governing the safety of animal and plant products at the production level are enforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the California Department of Health Services, CDFA Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch, and local health departments. Regulations governing food processing are enforced by the Food and Drug Administration, the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service, and CDFA programs including the Egg Inspection Branch, CDFA Meat and Poultry Inspection Branch, and CDFA Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch. CDFA's Production Food Safety Program and other Department programs work with egg producers, processors, academia, and other agencies to proactively assure the safety of eggs through voluntary quality assurance programs such as the California Egg Quality Assurance Program, California Poultry Meat Quality Assurance Program, and California Dairy Quality Assurance Program.
Live Animals and Animal Feed
The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine and CDFA Feed, Fertilizer, and Livestock Drugs Program enforces regulations governing the use of animal health products in food animals and the safety of animal feed, including the ruminant feed ban to prevent Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy. The USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics and CDFA Animal Health Branch regulate the use of vaccines in food animals. The CDFA Animal Production Food Safety Program is working with producers, processors, academia, and other agencies to proactively assure the health and safety of animals through various quality assurance programs.
Pesticides
The use of pesticides is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
Click here for more information about CDFA's role in Production Food Safety.
Contact us for more information:
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Animal Health and Food Safety Services, Animal Health Branch
1220 N Street, Room A–107
Sacramento, California 95814
Telephone: (916) 654–1447
Fax: (916) 653–2215
or send an email to: ahbfeedback@cdfa.ca.gov