What is the function of the EPA in US food safety?

• A. Regulate all interstate food safety.
• B. Authority for pesticides, toxins, and safe drinking water standards.
• C. Oversee animal welfare at farms.
• D. Certify organic claims.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that the EPA regulates environmental factors that affect the food supply. It registers pesticides and sets the allowable residue levels on foods, helping ensure that pesticide exposure through what we eat stays within safe limits. It also evaluates and controls environmental toxins that can contaminate food or water, and it sets national drinking water standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act to protect the water used in food preparation and consumption. This combination—pesticide regulation, toxin regulation, and drinking water standards—fits the EPA’s role in food safety. Other agencies handle different parts of the system: FDA takes the lead on most interstate food safety and labeling, USDA handles organic certification and some farm welfare issues, and the EPA isn’t responsible for certifying organic claims or for animal welfare at farms.