Catherine Woteki

About the author: Catherine Woteki is the under secretary for food safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The federal, state, and local governments, along with the private sector, need to work together to ensure the continued safety of America's food supply. The different levels of government can improve food safety by integrating their resources and focusing on specific roles, such as identifying food hazards or regulating the retail food sector. The private sector can play an important part in research and education.

Editor's Note: The following viewpoint was originally a speech given at the Food Industry Conference hosted by Pennsylvania State University in Grantville, Pennsylvania, on March 31, 1999.

It's a pleasure to be here to talk about integrating resources to improve...