Posted December 23, 2013
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will revise
proposed food safety rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA),
according to a Capital Press article available here. Recent posts from this blog, here
and here,
provide background information on the FSMA and proposed regulations.
FDA’s commissioner for foods, Michael Taylor, “said the
agency wants to make sure the rules are practical for farmers who have to abide
by them.
The rules, which were proposed in January, would
require farmers to make new efforts to prevent contamination including,
hand-washing for workers, higher standards for water quality testing, and
keeping animals out of fields. Food
manufacturers would also be affected by the proposed rules. A statement from Taylor is available here.
“Because of the input we received from farmers and the
concerns they expressed about the impact of these rules on their lives and
livelihood, we realized that significant changes must be made, while ensuring
that the proposed rules remain consistent with our food safety goals,” Taylor
said in a blog post on the FDA website.
Provisions expected for revision are those “dealing
with water quality standards and testing, raw manure and compost, mixed-use
facilities and exemptions for certain farms,” according to an article by
Agri-Pulse available here.
The FDA expects the revisions to the proposed rules to
be finalized by early summer.
The United Fresh Produce Association has criticized the
proposed definition of “mixed-type facilities,” arguing that a
“one-size-fits-all approach that lumps produce packing sheds, warehouses and
coolers together with food processing plants does not increase public health
and is likely counterproductive.”
In September, the National State Department of
Agriculture (NASDA) released a policy statement supporting
a second draft of the proposed rules.
For more information on the FSMA and food safety,
please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
