What does the USDA oversee in terms of food safety?

The USDA, or United States Department of Agriculture, plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and quality of various foods, particularly poultry, eggs, and meat products. This is accomplished through strict regulations and inspection programs designed to protect public health. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is specifically responsible for overseeing and enforcing standards that help maintain food safety in these categories. They conduct regular inspections in processing plants to ensure that the food being produced meets safety specifications, thereby preventing the distribution of contaminated products.

In contrast, the other options address aspects of food and agriculture that the USDA does not primarily oversee or regulate. For example, while dairy and grains are significant areas of agriculture, the USDA's safety oversight is most focused on poultry, eggs, and meat. Food marketing strategies fall outside the safety domain, focusing more on how food products are advertised and sold rather than their safety standards. Lastly, global food distribution networks relate more to international trade and logistics rather than food safety regulations, which is the USDA's primary concern in this context.