U.S. Food Safety Policy Enters a New Era

In late 2010, Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the most comprehensive reforms to Federal food safety laws since 1938. The farm-to-fork, preventive approach embodied in the Act reflects an established scientific/managerial consensus on how to improve food safety systems. Economic research on similar food safety initiatives by industry and government can help guide implementation of the FSMA.