The impact of foodborne diseases on health in the United States is considerable. CDC estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.
NIFA seeks to reduce the incidence of foodborne illness and provide a safer food supply by supporting research, education, and extension activities addressing current priority issues and multiple disciplines in food safety.
- NIFA's Food Safety Program is guided by USDA's Research, Education and Economics Action Plan
- Food Safety Research, Education and Extension activities are funded through the Agriculture and Food Safety Research Initiative (AFRI)
- NIFA is funding research on Antimicrobial Resistance under the AFRI program
- The National Integrated Food Safety Initiative supports NIFA Grants
- NIFA enhances networking through the Food Safety Specialist Directory to facilitate communication among food safety professionals