In honor of World Food Safety Day, which takes place annually on June 7, the New York State Departments of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) and Health (DOH) today highlighted the State’s ongoing efforts to enhance food safety for all New Yorkers. AGM and DOH are at the forefront of food safety efforts in New York State with a wide network of food safety inspectors and dairy product specialists that inspect New York's retail food establishments, food manufacturing plants, dairy processing facilities, and restaurants. The State additionally houses state-of-the art laboratories committed to protecting and improving the health of New Yorkers through laboratory analysis, investigation, and research.
Beginning on World Food Safety Day, AGM will launch a special week-long social media campaign educating consumers about its work to protect New York State’s food supply. AGM is also launching a trivia contest to bust common food safety myths and help New Yorkers learn about keeping their food safe at home, with a chance for New Yorkers to win a special prize.
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, "Each year as we recognize World Food Safety Day, we are proud to share with New Yorkers that the State has a strong team of inspectors and scientists working hard every day to keep New York’s food supply safe. From our daily work on farms, in retail food stores, and in food processing facilities, to our analyses in New York’s state-of-the-art Food Laboratory, the Department is committed to maintaining the safety and resiliency of our food systems and ensuring that consumers can sleep soundly knowing that we’re on the job."
State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, "Keeping food safe is essential to protecting people’s health. From inspecting restaurants to investigating outbreaks, we’re committed to safeguarding the health of New Yorkers by ensuring their food is clean and properly handled."
As part of the educational campaign, AGM is releasing a series of social media posts this week to showcase the work conducted by Department staff every day to ensure the State’s food supply is safe. This includes a post highlighting its Farm Products Unit, which provides optional third-party grading and certification services and third-party food safety verification audits to the fruit and vegetable industry throughout New York, so consumers know they are getting the highest quality products. Grading, certification, and auditing services include:
The Farm Products Unit also carries out programs like the USDA Pesticide Data Program, New York State branding laws inspections, seed potato field inspections for seed certification, shell egg surveillance, Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), and controlled atmosphere apple storage licensing. Learn more.
AGM is additionally launching a trivia contest on its social media platforms, debunking common food safety myths throughout the week, culminating in a quiz that New Yorkers can take to show off their new knowledge, with a chance to win a prize. Consumers can follow along with the Department’s educational efforts on its Facebook and Twitter pages. Videos of the State’s food safety work can be found here, here, and here.
AGM is at the forefront of setting food safety standards in New York, with a network of food safety inspectors and dairy product specialists that annually inspect New York's over 35,000 retail food establishments, like grocery stores, 300 dairy processing facilities, as well as farms that grow, harvest, and store produce and food. During inspections, trained inspectors proactively look for issues that could lead to foodborne illness, such as those that involve the food source and condition, food processing and storage temperatures, sanitary practices, and handling, among others. The Department also, through its state-of-the-art ISO17025 accredited Food Laboratory, uses the latest techniques in analytical detection to protect and improve the health of our food supply by conducting laboratory analysis of thousands of food samples collected each year.
In 2024, the Division of Food Safety and Inspection conducted more than 22,400 inspections, collected over 2,700 food samples for analysis by the Department's Food Laboratory, conducted 171 food recalls, investigated more than 2,200 consumer complaints, and verified product labeling on thousands of products, from fish to baked goods. In 2024, the Division was involved in nearly 1,500 cases where food product was seized due to undeclared ingredients, live pathogens or some other type of contamination, resulting in over 135,000 pounds of food being destroyed. The Division received recognition by the FDA for its work in several investigations and recalls of food products contaminated with heavy metals and industrial dyes.
To ensure the safety of our State's dairy products, the Department also employs dozens of dairy products specialists within the Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services who annually conduct approximately 7,000 inspections of farms and dairy processing plants for compliance with sanitation requirements and standards of identity. In addition, the specialists sample nearly 14,600 dairy products that are sent to the Food Laboratory for analysis. In addition, New York’s almost 3,000 dairy farms are inspected by more than 88 certified milk inspectors (CMIs) who watch for sanitary conditions of the farm, the health of the cows, and the health of individuals working on the farm.
The Divisions of Food Safety and Inspection and Milk Control and Dairy Services work closely with the Department's Food Laboratory, which is critical to the Department's food safety efforts. The Food Laboratory tests samples collected by divisions’ inspectors from manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and farms to check for biological and chemical hazards. The Food Laboratory can identify and analyze harmful bacteria like E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella, and additionally tests for industrial dyes, allergens, toxic elements, and pesticide residues. In 2024, scientists at the Food Laboratory examined over 20,000 samples and performed more than 440,000 tests on food and drinks. If violations are found, Class 1, 2, or 3 food recalls will be initiated, allowing for the removal of contaminated products before any illness cases are reported. The Food Laboratory also helps with outbreak investigations alongside DOH. It receives federal funding through partnerships with the USDA (Pesticide Data Program) and the FDA (Laboratory Flexible Funding Model). The Food Laboratory develops food testing methods to accommodate emerging threats and has been a member of the FDA and USDA Food Emergency Response Network for more than 15 years.
New York State Department of Health
The New York State Department of Health's Bureau of Community Environmental Health and Food Protection works to protect public health by assuring that food service establishments are operated in a manner that eliminates hazards through design and management, resulting in a decreased incidence of foodborne illness. The Bureau's Food Protection Program and Outbreak Investigation and Research Section also coordinates foodborne outbreak investigations, analyzes the findings and uses this information to develop regulations and guidance designed to prevent similar outbreaks in the future.
There are over 100,000 food service establishments in New York State. The Food Protection Program provides guidance and assistance to county and city health departments and State District Offices, which, in turn, permit and inspect restaurants, some institutional food services, temporary and mobile food service establishments, and vending machines.
Food service inspection data is available for inspections of restaurants, caterers and food service at schools, children's camps, some institutions, and other facilities. Most food service inspections in New York State can be accessed through the health.data.ny.gov webpage.
The Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health 's public health laboratory, assists during outbreaks of foodborne diseases and in cases where rapid response food testing for chemicals, radioactivity and biologics is required. In these cases, the Bacteriology lab tests food samples to link them with patient samples to identify the source of illness. This allows for recalls of tainted foods, dramatically limiting the spread of disease and impact on New Yorkers.
Wadsworth has developed numerous cutting-edge tests for the detection of food-related pathogens and has been a member of the FDA and USDA Food Emergency Response Network since its inception over 15 years ago, providing testing capability and capacity for biothreat agents, including Bacillus anthracis and ricin and chemical warfare agents in food samples. The Wadsworth Center is also the regional antimicrobial resistance network site for the northeast U.S. and provides antimicrobial resistance identification and characterization for foodborne pathogens such as E. coli. Typically, Wadsworth receives approximately 10,000 samples a year for testing of foodborne organisms.
Consumer Food Safety Tips
To ensure food is kept safe after it comes home from the grocery store, the Department of Agriculture and Markets and the Department of Health advise consumers to follow several quick and easy steps, provided below.
Clean: Wash your hands and surfaces often.
Separate: Don't cross-contaminate.
Cook: To the right temperature.
Chill: Refrigerate foods promptly. Do not store at room temperature.
For more information, visit the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Food Safety and Inspection and the New York State Department of Health websites.
The State Agriculture Department investigates consumer complaints related to food safety at retail food establishments. Complaints can be submitted here.
About World Food Safety Day
World Food Safety Day was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018 to draw attention and direct educational efforts to reducing the approximately 600 million cases of foodborne illnesses that occur annually across the globe. The annual observance on June 7 aims to draw attention and inspire action to help prevent, detect, and manage foodborne risks, contributing to food security, human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism, and sustainable development. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) jointly facilitate the observance of World Food Safety Day, in collaboration with Member States and other relevant organizations. This international day is an opportunity to strengthen efforts to ensure that the food we eat is safe, mainstream food safety in the public agenda, and reduce the burden of foodborne diseases globally. According to the WHO, each year worldwide, unsafe food causes 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 420,000 deaths.