INTERNATIONAL IMPORTS AND THE SAFETY OF THE U.S. FOOD AND FIBER SYSTEM

Abstract

The trend towards globalization has led an increase in the U.S. Food trade. Threats of bio-terrorism and safety of the agriculture production system have become larger concerns to U.S consumers and policy makers. This paper analyzes how agriculture imports have changed in the past years; and how the government has reacted to the vulnerability of the U.S. food supply system to bio terrorism and invasive pests. Changes in budgets for the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS), agencies who are in part responsible for the food security, were compared to the increase in imports to provide a gauge for the response of the Federal Government to these threats.globalization, food imports, food safety, bio terrorism, invasive pests and diseases, homeland security, APHIS, FSIS, Financial Economics, International Relations/Trade,