For many American consumers, the first thing that comes to mind when they think of USDA is the mark of inspection on their food labels and products.
The mark of inspection gives consumers confidence that the meat, poultry and processed egg products they are about to enjoy are safe and wholesome. And we can give consumers this confidence because of the work of the men and women of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).
That is why, this week, FSIS launched Faces of Food Safety, a monthly in-depth look at one of the scientists, veterinarians, inspectors, or other professionals that play a role in making our nation’s food safe.
On any given day, FSIS employees are inspecting meat, poultry and processed egg products at one of thousands of plants across the country; analyzing product samples in a laboratory for the presence of harmful bacteria; teaching kids about food safety; tracking down the source of an outbreak; and the list goes on. Together, we help protect more than 300 million Americans and consumers around the world from unsafe food.
“Our diverse and experienced employees take their responsibility to make sure food is safe very seriously, and they make a real difference,” explained Carol Blake, FSIS’ Director of Congressional and Public Affairs. “We want to put a spotlight on them.”
Our first ‘face of food safety’ is Dr. Katherine E. Ralston, a public health veterinarian in FSIS' Dallas District Office, who takes pride in promoting public health and proper livestock handling. And in the future, we will continue to profile more employees like Dr. Ralston, who take the FSIS public health mission to heart.
Be sure to check out Faces of Food Safety on our website.