The possibility of contamination by pathogens or chemicals exists at every step in a food commodity chain (production, processing, distribution, sale, consumption, and disposal of food). Food companies also actively adulterate foods in their production or processing stages to receive a desired effect (e.g., maintenance of minimum weight for a product but achieved with a cheaper food additive and not the pure product alone). As food commodity chains have become more complex in the past 2 centuries, opportunities for contamination and adulteration have increased. Lawmakers and the general public have seen the need for food safety oversight at various levels of government, as well as food safety research and public awareness. This entry describes the major U.S. federal food safety agencies and some of their ...