Food Additives and Preservatives

• Additives in Meat and Poultry Products (USDA)  This fact sheet produced by the USDA discusses food additives in meat and poultry, specifically, the types of additives commonly used and their history and regulation.
• Food Ingredients & Packaging: Food Ingredients and Colors (FDA)  This link provides general information about the history and regulation of food additives, answers to commonly asked questions and a table listing popular food additives and their function in foods.
• Interpreting Pesticide Residues in Food (Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST). 2019. Interpreting Pesticide Residues in Food. Issue Paper 66. CAST, Ames, Iowa) (PDF 3.6 MB)

Food Regulations

• Ensuring a Safe Food Supply: A Concise Guide to Food Regulation in the U.S. (International Food Information Council's (IFIC) (PDF 231 KB)

For Youth 

• Science and Our Food Supply (FDA) Free supplementary curriculum for middle level and high school classrooms. The teacher guides are challenging hands-on, minds-on activities that link food safety, nutrition, and biotechnology to students' everyday lives. They are crafted in a teacher-friendly modular format that easily fit into science, health, and other classes.

Genetically Modified Foods 

• Agricultural Biotechnology in California:  Safety of Genetically Engineered Food (UCANR Pub 8180) (PDF 212 KB)
• Correspondence by Dr. Chassy (University of Illinois Food Science and Human Nutrition, 2012) regarding health and safety claims related to GMOs and food safety issues.
• Crop Modification Techniques (Biology Fortified, Inc.) Information and infographic regarding the many techniques used to generate new traits in plants. (Infographic, PDF 3 MB)

Shelf Life, Product Dating, and Long-Term Storage

• "Food Keeper" App - Your New Tool for Smart Food Storage (USDA)
• Food Product Dating (USDA Fact Sheets)
• Food Product Dating and Storage Times (Arizona Cooperatve Extension) (PDF 616 KB)
• Decoding Food Product Dates (University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension)
• Shelf Life and Reading Can Codes (Canned Food Alliance)
• Long-Term Food Storage (Utah State University)
• Raw Produce - Selecting and Serving it Safely (FDA)
• Storing Canned Food (University of Minnesota Extension)
• The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America (NRDC Report; 2013) (PDF 3.0 MB)

 A poster produced by the UC Postharvest Center, showing the proper storage of fruits, melons and vegetables.

• Poster on Storing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for Better Taste (PDF 3.7 MB)
• Poster on Storing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables for Better Taste (Spanish) (PDF 2.37MB)