Throughout the entire food supply chain, food safety practices are vital to ensure that the food that reaches our plates is safe and nutritious. How the food is grown, the pesticides and insecticides used, the processing, packaging, storage, and preparation all play a role in food safety. In Arizona, over 3,000 people report food borne illnesses each year. In 2021, Arizona health departments received 763 foodborne illness complaints. According to data gathered from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, 43.9 people get a food borne illness per every 100,000 people. Shigella, a bacteria that causes bloody diarrhea, stomach pain, and a fever, was the most common food borne illness reported. In 2024, a Listeria outbreak was reported related to queso fresco and cotija cheese in Arizona. Listeria is a bacteria that lives in water and moist soil, and can be transported into our food during harvesting, processing, preparation, packing, transportation, and storage in a contaminated place. This bacteria can cause fever, vomiting, muscle aches, diarrhea, and–in more severe cases–confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions. There have also been confirmed outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E-Coli, hepatitis A virus, Salmonella, and Vibrio.
Federally, there are many laws that ensure that our food remains safe, and work to prevent the 3,000 food related deaths each year across America. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act focuses on preventative measures. It requires facilities to identify hazards and address them, sets standards for growing, harvesting, and handling produce as far as water quality and hygiene, ensures imports meet FDA standards, and more. The Food Quality Protection Act enforces strict regulations surrounding the pesticides that can be used on our foods. This allows the EPA to regularly review the safety of pesticides as science and technology develops, including new guidelines on drinking water exposure and residential exposure. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act protects consumers from unsafe or deceptive food practices by combating adulteration (containing harmful substances), misbranding, food and color additives, and enforcing inspections. Adulterated foods can contain harmful substances, be prepared in unsanitary conditions, contained in unsafe packaging, and be subject to deceptive practices that reduce the quality or value of the food. The FD&C Act allows the FDA to seize adulterated products, inspect facilities, and prosecute violators.
In Arizona, The 2017 FDA Food Code has been adopted to ensure food safety in retail and food service situations. Some notable requirements include the increase of food holding temperatures from 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit, and most establishments are required to have an ANSI-accredited certified Food Protection Manager. The Arizona Department of Health Services conducts inspections, ensuring that establishments comply with sanitation, food handling, and facility laws. Further up the supply chain, the Arizona Department of Agriculture also conducts food safety inspections for produce, meat, dairy, and eggs. For example, they oversee the meat processing procedure, an inspector is present to ensure that the facilities are clean, employees are following cleanliness rules, checking the meat for potential health hazards, and all clean up is done properly. The Arizona Department of Agriculture's Animal Services Department also enforces laws surrounding the movement, sale, and health of livestock, poultry, and fish to safeguard against infectious diseases. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has protected our water quality through programs like the Aquifer Protection Permit Program and the Surface Water Protection Program. Though these laws provide a seemingly great framework for protecting our food, there are some inequalities that put children and marginalized communities at risk.
While many of us have little concerns about how safe our food is, many do not have those same liberties. Those with lower incomes can have less access to safe and nutritious food. This can increase their vulnerability to foodborne illnesses and other health issues. Additionally, access to clean water can be lesser for marginalized communities, which impacts food safety greatly. There are concerns in multiple areas. Some argue that though there are millions of dollars spent on food safety research every year, there is minimal integration of this science into our actual laws and regulations. The laws are not adjusting as quickly as the scientific discoveries are being made. Additionally, there are concerns about inequalities in the enforcement of laws and regulations. With limited personnel, there are likely to be inspections and enforcements that are delayed and forgotten. Those forgotten inspections are likely to occur in low income communities, leaving them with possibly unsafe food conditions. The Consumer Federation of America released a report in 2018, finding a clear relationship between food borne illness and poverty. Areas with higher amounts of poverty had higher levels of reported food borne illnesses. The Consumer Federation of America suggested some solutions to this problem, including creating a single food safety agency, ensuring that all areas get equal protection.