Testing food to ensure it's safe for human consumption is a necessary step to protect consumers. A multitude of food items are tested in labs, including manufactured and processed goods, crops and food served at restaurants. The tests are conducted by private companies and the United States government, such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control. There are literally thousands of tests routinely performed on the food in the United States, but the tests can be broken into four categories; nutrition, allergens, radiation and foodborne illnesses.
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Nutrition
- The Food and Drug Administration requires food and beverage producers to list the amount of calories, fat, sodium, carbohydrates and other nutrients in a food product on its packaging. Not all food products are required to list such information. Prepared foods, such as bread, cereal, snacks, canned and frozen vegetables, beverages and boxed dinners must be labeled, but raw produce and fish is labeled voluntarily. To determine the amount of each required nutrient, testing is conducted at independent food laboratories that tests each food item individually.
Allergies
- Many people have food allergies to various ingredients, so food is sometimes tested to ensure it does not contain specific allergens. Common food allergies result from ingesting peanuts, shellfish, eggs and gluten products such as bread and pasta. Another fairly common allergen found in food is penicillin, which is a mold used during the process of making various cheeses, including bleu cheese. Allergen testing is voluntarily and not enforced by the FDA. Food allergen testing is done by independent laboratories such as EMSL Food Testing and ABC Research.
Radiation
- The FDA is responsible for monitoring the radiation levels in food sold and served in the United States. It should be noted that there is radiation that is both beneficial and harmful to food products. Low radiation levels destroy potential harmful bacteria, while high levels of radiation create a serious health hazard. In 2011, the coast of Japan was hit by a tsunami which severely damaged a few nuclear reactors. Food from Japan is often imported to the U.S. and it's the FDA's responsibility to ensure the food entering the country is safe for consumption. In the case of the nuclear emergency in Japan, the FDA conducts field examinations and lab tests all aspects of the food manufacturing process, including the water, seed and soil used to grow crops. Produce, meat and processed foods are also tested for radiation.
Foodborne Illness and Disease
- Foodborne illnesses are obtained by consuming food that is contaminated with disease-carrying pathogens, chemicals and other harmful substances. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are over 250 different types of foodborne illnesses. The two most common are salmonella and campylobacter, which results after consuming raw or undercooked poultry. Testing for foodborne illnesses is a voluntary process and is often handled by the FDA, but independent laboratories may also be used. In the United States, food manufacturers and restaurants are not required to monitor foodborne illnesses contained in their food products. Oftentimes, it isn't until someone has consumed the food product and gotten ill that testing is conducted.
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