Why pursue a career in Food Safety and Security?
1. Food Safety
Based on the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food Safety Fact Sheet(reviewed on October 2017) states that:
- An estimated 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420 000 die every year, resulting in the loss of 33 million healthy life years.
- Unsafe food causes more than 200 diseases – ranging from diarrhea to cancers.
- Children under 5 years of age carry 40% of the food-borne disease burden, with 125 000 deaths every year.
2. Food Security
From a story published by Mercy Corps (QUICK FACTS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GLOBAL HUNGER)
- 1 in every 9 people goes to bed hungry each night (795 million people do not have enough food).
- Every 10 seconds, a child dies from hunger.
- Hunger kills more people each year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.
- Poor nutrition leads to health problems, which can cause inability to work, with health problems we get unhealthy pregnancies.
Our Goal
- Train a robust mass of Hispanic scientists to diagnose plant diseases and food-borne pathogens.
- Encourage collaborative initiatives among public and private organizations and agencies in Puerto Rico, to potentiate the development and use of resources.
- Provide our students research experiences, internships opportunities within USDA agencies and non-profit organizations, and so much more.
Join us and lets make a difference!