Obama, Romney Debate Food Health And Safety

ScienceDebate.org enlisted the help of thousands of scientific experts and professionals to come up with questions about their fields that they would like to ask the presidential candidates. From there, they worked with a handful of reputable organizations (such as The American Institute of Physics and the American Society of Civil Engineers) to narrow down the list to 14 topical questions, including one about food.

The question: "Thanks to science and technology, the United States has the world's most productive and diverse agricultural sector, yet many Americans are increasingly concerned about the health and safety of our food. The use of hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides, as well as animal diseases and even terrorism pose risks. What steps would you take to ensure the health, safety, and productivity of America's food supply?"

Obama opened his response by noting the specific ways in which he has modernized the nation's food safety system since taking office — highlighting his radical reforms to food safety legislation and his continued efforts to improve the Food and Drug Administration. He also noted his dedication to increasing the number of certified organic farms in the U.S. and lending greater support to the organic operations that already exist.

Romney responded to the question by first mentioning that food safety is vitally important to both the health of the American public as well as health of the agriculture sector as it relates to the nation's economy. He notes that under a Romney administration, he would make sure to have the FDA work with experts and researchers in the agriculture industry to devise preventative measures to combat the threat of foodborne illnesses.

Check out the rest of the responses from Obama and Romney here.