In November 2022, Ms. Anna Szafrańska, Ph.D. Eng. from the Department of Grain Processing and Bakery of IBPRS-PIB participated in the International Visitors Leadership Program „U.S. Agricultural Trade and Food Safety – a multi regional Project”. This three-week project educated its participants on the intersection of the U.S. policies regarding international trade, sustainable agriculture, and consumer health and safety. The project supported the Department’s strategic goals to ensure economic development and enhance global health. The participants explored how U.S. farmers and ranchers meet the complex economic and environmental challenges of providing affordable, high quality, and safe food products for both, domestic consumption and international export. The project presented the political, social, environmental, and economic forces that influence U.S. agricultural trade policies and highlighted how federal, regional, and local programs for agricultural research, inspection, trade promotion, and resource conservation help ensure agricultural competitiveness and food safety in the global marketplace. The aim of the project was also to present its participants with how the U.S. food commodities are regulated and marketed, from farm-to-table to international export. The discussed topics included an overview of the U.S. federalist system of government and the U.S. trade regulations within the agricultural sector as well as the examination of the roles of federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
