Major Changes Upcoming To FSMA Proposals
FDA to revise two important food safety regulations in summer 2014
Keeping up with obligations to ensure that food is safe for American consumers, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed revisions will be made to new rules proposed in early 2013 regarding produce safety and preventive controls for human food. The decision to make changes comes nearly three full years after President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law back in 2011.
The commenting period of the proposals came to a close in November and many farmers — of both large and small farms — expressed concerns about the impacts of the proposed regulations. The FDA also received requests for revisions by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and the United Fresh Produce Association. Further, 75 congressmen supported a written request to the FDA to leave the commenting stage open at least long enough to fully understand the opinion of the public.
In response to this feedback, the FDA has agreed to issue changes expected this summer. While the new rules were first proposed in response to public concerns about tainted food, the FDA agrees that the proposed regulations do not relieve the issues they were designed to fix, nor do they relieve the stresses imposed on farmers. The FDA has not disclosed all the details of the upcoming changes, but the revisions will affect current water usage and testing protocols, along with the management and handling of raw manure.
These proposed rules and anticipated regulations designed to protect public health are coming at just the right time. Over the past 10 years, foodborne illnesses have become a rampant problem, most commonly caused by Salmonella. The bacteria has been linked to tainted eggs that affected 1,600 consumers in Iowa in 2010, along with a 2008 Salmonella outbreak involving contaminated peanut butter that killed nine people, hospitalized 166, and infected more than 700. The manufacturer at fault, the Peanut Corporation of America, is still dealing with the aftermath of the outbreak, as a 76 count indictment was issued to its former executives in early 2013. The case will go to trial this summer.
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