Food Safety a Priority Among Texas Producers

With consumers concerned about food safety issues, this article by the Southwest Farm Press serves as a good reminder of the great lengths farmers and ranchers go to ensure Americans continue to receive the safest food supply in the world.

Here at the Texas Department of Agriculture, we continue to find new and better ways to protect consumers. For instance, we have invested more than $340,000 into projects that assist producers in adopting and implementing good agricultural practices. The funds specifically pay for the education of producers, audits on their farms and costs associated with implementing good agricultural practices in their operations. This funding resulted from actions I took in 2007 to establish food safety as one of only four funding priorities under the federal Specialty Crop Block Grant TDA administers.

Texas and American consumers demand the very best, and Texas farmers and ranchers are proud partners in delivering that quality with an eye toward safety. To learn more about finding safe, healthy and affordable Texas products, go to www.TexasAgriculture.gov and look for the GO TEXAN Programs link.