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Statement before the National Conference on Food Safety Research Sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture November 12-13, 1998 Submitted by Dr. Refugio Rochin
I appreciate the opportunity to make a statement before this group on the role of the social sciences in enhancing our nation's food safety. Biological research to enhance food safety is crucial, however, it can only be efficient and effective when conducted jointly with economics and other social science research. Economics research, in particular, measures and shapes the impact of the new technologies developed by the biological sciences. I ask that you consider the following discussion of economic and social science research contributions as you generate USDA's list of food safety research priorities. Economic research is needed to improve our understanding of the benefits and costs of options to reduce 1) foodborne illness from pathogens, and 2) pesticide residues in fresh and processed foods. Agricultural economists and other social scientists can assess how changes in consumer demand affects food safety, health and nutrition. Through economic research, we can better understand the choices consumers, retailers, and producers make in food production and preparation practices and their responses to food safety information. Such information could then be used to evaluate the effectiveness of public and private efforts to promote safer food production, transportation, handling and preparation. The economic incentives for producers to supply safer food should be studied. How economic incentives could be strengthened in both public and private programs is an important area of research with significant implications for funding long run research to develop new control programs. Economic research on risk assessment is also critical. Efforts to estimate the benefits and costs of options to reduce foodborne illnesses are hampered by lack of knowledge about how pathogen control efforts will eventually affect public health. Further research on risk assessment by economists, in collaboration with other scientists, will provide decision makers with better estimates of the benefits and costs of efforts to promote food safety. Like several other professional associations including the animal and plant sciences, the agricultural economists recently generated a list of research priorities. Food safety research was targeted for emphasis by the profession because agricultural economists have a lot to offer the science community in this area -- from help overcoming economic obstacles, to using incentives to promote practices that enhance food safety, to designing efficient and effective federal regulations or guidelines. Thank you again for your consideration of these remarks. I urge you to include the potential contributions of economics and other social sciences in your list of national research priorities. Public Statements
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