This is a significant challenge that may not be met unless Extension can maintain its objectivity, upgrade the food safety knowledge of its personnel, and mount a coordinated educational program at the state and federal level. The safety of the U.S. food supply is a legitimate concern and a scientifically complex issue. Eating foods containing naturally occurring toxins, pesticides, heavy metals or drugs2 also creates the potential for foodborne illness. Unlike illnesses caused by microorganisms, which usually run their course in a few hours or days, foodborne illnesses of this type aren't well-characterized as to cause and effect, onset and duration of symptoms, and prognosis. Perhaps because of this uncertainty, consumers express greater concern about chemicals in food than about microorganisms.
Consumers can take some steps to ensure the safety of the food they eat.
Some people may even decide to stop eating certain foods. Such a decision affects the variety, nutrient content, and cost of the person's diet. If large numbers of consumers change their eating habits to avoid what they perceive as a problem food or substance, it has an impact on people and industries all along the food chain. Most consumers have difficulty assessing the level of risk associated with foods or substances in food and putting that risk into perspective. The ability to detect ever small amounts of chemicals in foods has eroded, rather than increased, public confidence in the safety of the food supply.