Corn growers recognize the importance of food safety to the consumer, and the corn industry has worked for many years to make sure its products are safe for humans, animals and the environment. As agricultural and processing technology has improved, the corn industry has been able to produce increasingly safe, high-quality products for consumers.
This is an ongoing effort, in which the corn industry works closely with the three federal agencies – the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – that develop and enforce food and agricultural safety regulations and standards.
- The USDA is responsible for safety issues such as plant disease management and prevention and grain quality and testing.
- The FDA supervises the safety of the nation’s food and feed supply.
- The EPA regulates the approval and use of the pesticides and herbicides used on crops, stored food and in the home.
The agricultural development of biotechnology has raised many questions for consumers. For more information on this topic, see Biotechnology in Farming.