More than eight years after Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, the Food and Drug Administration, industry and outside scientists are still struggling to figure out the best way to ensure the water used for irrigating and packing fresh produce is safe.

Many farms can already provide the tracking, but incompatible tracking systems and food industry gaps create critical weaknesses in the chain.

Companies producing meat through cell-cultured technology say they are closer than ever to putting a commercially available finished product on dinner plates, but not everyone shares the same level of optimism.

Three federal agencies -- USDA, EPA and FDA -- have signed a formal agreement aimed at making Americans more aware of the importance of reducing food waste.