The US Food and Drug Administration has proposed two new food safety rules to help prevent foodborne illness, implementing the landmark, bipartisan FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
According to the FDA, the rules follow an extensive outreach to the produce industry, the consumer community, other government agencies and the international community, with FDA staff 'touring farms and facilities nationwide and participating in hundreds of meetings and presentations with global regulatory partners, industry stakeholders, consumer groups, farmers, state and local officials, and the research community', the group said.
'The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act is a common sense law that shifts the food safety focus from reactive to preventive,' said health and human services secretary Kathleen Sebelius. 'With the support of industry, consumer groups, and the bipartisan leadership in Congress, we are establishing a science-based, flexible system to better prevent foodborne illness and protect American families.'
These two FSMA rules are part of an integrated reform effort that focuses on prevention and addresses the safety of foods produced domestically and imported, with additional rules to be published shortly.
Rule one requires makers of food to be sold in the US, whether produced at a foreign- or domestic-based facility, to develop a formal plan for preventing their food products from causing foodborne illness, also requiring them to have plans for correcting any problems that arise.
The FDA is also seeking public comment on the second proposed rule, which proposes enforceable safety standards for the production and harvesting of produce on farms, with science- and risk-based standards for the safe production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables.
'The FDA knows that food safety, from farm to fork, requires partnership with industry, consumers, local, state and tribal governments, and our international trading partners,' said FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg. 'Our proposed rules reflect the input we have received from these stakeholders and we look forward to working with the public as they review the proposed rules.'
Responding to the announcement, the United Fresh Produce Association said that it was launching a 'rigorous and deliberate' review process of the proposals, involving the expertise of food safety experts and industry stakeholders.
'United Fresh is pleased that FDA has published the draft rules and looks forward to working with all stakeholders to conduct a thorough review,' said David Gombas, senior vice-president of food safety & technology at United Fresh. 'We will work closely with members across the produce industry, leading food safety scientists, other stakeholders and the FDA to ensure the proposed rules are practical and effective for enhancing produce food safety.'
Meanwhile, Produce Marketing Association (PMA) president and CEO Bryan Silbermann issued a statement in response to the proposals.
'We’re pleased to see the proposed rules released and are eager to review and assess them. Throughout the regulatory process, we’ve worked diligently with and will continue to inform key decision makers to help guide these regulations in a direction that will best serve public health and our industry’s food safety needs.
'It’s important to remember that these are the first two of many proposed rules that will have implications for every aspect of the global produce supply chain. As more proposed rules are released, we’ll continue to provide updates to our membership and provide commentary to FDA on the industry’s behalf.'
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