Food system safety is only as strong as the regulatory framework that oversees it. National and global food companies have consistently worked to weaken food safety oversight, including the growing privatization of inspection and implementation. IATP has worked to strengthen food safety rules within the U.S., at international institutions like Codex, and within international trade agreements.

Some new chemicals are added to foods as part of the production process, other chemicals end up within food through external contamination. Many of these food and feed contaminants evade regulations that should be protecting our health and the environment. IATP has focused on strong public interest protections from intentionally added antibiotics and arsenic to animal feed, to the presence of mercury, dioxins and other toxic chemicals within processed foods and fish.