In the past few years several high-profile food recalls stemming from potential E.coli and salmonella outbreaks have some experts questioning just how safe the food supply in the U.S. is.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, foodborne ailments are responsible for approximately 76 million Americans becoming sick each year, with more than 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths. Unfortunately these situations are difficult, if not impossible to avoid.

"I think it's hard for (consumers); life is busy," Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said. "You're about making a living and taking care of your kids and getting them to the next event, so you don't spend an hour a day figuring out what they do about food safety. You just assume it's safe."

Adding to the problem is the issue of mulitple agencies being responsible for overseeing the industry. The USDA handles the inspection and monitoring of all interstate and foreign meat, poultry and egg products sales, while the FDA is responsible for the remaining food products. Consumers typically believe the FDA can enforce mandatory food recalls, however the most the agency can do is request a recall in written form to a company and hope they will comply. Congressman Bruce Braley believes the FDA needs greater authority in these instances and thus initiated the Fresh Produce Safety Act, which regulates safety standards for fresh produce sold in the U.S.

"Recent ongoing recalls of fresh produce raise questions about the safety of our food supply and the oversight capacity of the Food and Drug Administration," Braley said. "The FDA needs to be given the authority and resources to do their job and ensure that our food supply is safe."

Meanwhile, Ronnie Cummins, the director of the Organic Consumer Association, is convinced that organic food is still the best option for those hoping to avoid the pitfalls of potentially contaminated food.

"The reason the organic food sector is booming is because the public certainly doesn't think conventional food is the safest in the world," he said."I think it is a stretch to brag about how safe our food is when we have public health experts saying our cancer epidemic is largely related to our diets," Cummins said.

Hit the jump to read the full article for more information regarding how food is handled in the U.S. and tips to make your food safer.

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