Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration: An agency within the US Public Health Service that provides a number of health-related services. Abbreviated FDA. The FDA’s services include inspecting food and food-processing facilities to ensure wholesomeness and safety; scrutinizing food and drugs for pets and farm animals; ensuring that cosmetics will not cause harm; monitoring the health of the nation’s blood supply; ensuring that medicines, medical devices, and biologicals (such as insulin and vaccines) are safe and effective; and testing radiation-emitting products such as microwave ovens to protect the public. The FDA also oversees health and safety labeling of these products. All new prescription and over-the-counter drugs are subject to FDA approval. The FDA must determine that a new drug produces the benefits it’s supposed to produce, without causing side effects that would outweigh the benefits. It does so by looking at the results of clinical trials done outside the FDA. When serious adverse effects from a medication are reported, the FDA has the power to force the manufacturer to make changes in the drug, change its safety labeling or marketing practices, or remove the medication from the market.
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Food irradiation: A food safety technology designed to eliminate disease-causing germs from foods. Treating food with ionizing radiation can kill bacteria and parasites that would otherwise cause foodborne disease. Similar technology is used to sterilize medical devices so they can be used in surgery or implanted without risk of infection. The effects of irradiation on […]
- Food poisoning
The illness resulting from eating food or drinking water containing poisonous substances including bacteria, viruses, pesticides, or toxins. Symptoms generally begin within 2 to 6 hours and include abdominal cramping, diarrhea, fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and weakness.
- Food poisoning, Campylobacter
Food poisoning, Campylobacter: Now the leading cause of bacterial food poisoning, caused by an Campylobacter jejuni, most often spread by contact with raw or undercooked poultry. A single drop of juice from a contaminated chicken is enough to make someone sick with Campylobacteriosis (disease due to Campylobacter bacteria). Campylobacteriosis usually strikes only one person or […]
- Food security
Food security: When people do not need to live with hunger or fear starvation.
- Food, functional
Food, functional: A modified food that claims to improve health or well-being by providing benefit beyond that of the traditional nutrients it contains. Functional foods may include such items as cereals, breads, beverages that are fortified with vitamins, some herbs, and nutraceuticals.