The White House has released its “Current Regulatory Plan and the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions” for Spring 2014. When Food Safety News reported on the Fall 2013 agenda, we told you about the food safety issues in development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. All of the key regulations we highlighted then have pushed passed the schedule set last fall. The Modernization of Poultry Slaughter Inspection final rule, which had been expected in April, is now scheduled for July. The June date for the final rule for labeling mechanically tenderized beef products has been pushed to September, along with a proposed rule to require companies to report the distribution and sales information for antimicrobial active ingredients used in food-producing animals. The proposed rule for updating the nutritional and ingredient information on pet food labels is now expected in October. Final action on adding nutrition labeling to restaurant menus had been expected in February, but is now planned for June. So is regulation on calorie labeling for food in vending machines. And a list of pathogens with the potential to pose a serious threat to public health (including Acinetobacter species, Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter species, Clostridium difficile and Vibrio cholera) has inched past its expected date in June but is still required to be published by July 9. Here’s a refresher of what’s planned for the Food Safety Modernization Act:

Rule RIN / Link Next Action Date Final Rule Deadline
Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls 0910-AG36 Re-proposed Language August 2014 Aug. 30, 2015
Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals 0910-AG10 Re-proposed Language August 2014 Aug. 30, 2015
Produce Safety Regulation 0910-AG35 Re-proposed Language August 2014 October 31, 2015
Foreign Supplier Verification Program 0910-AG64 Re-proposed Language August 2014 October 31, 2015
Accreditation of Third Parties To Conduct Food Safety Audits and For Other Related Purposes 0910-AG66 Final Rule October 31, 2015
Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food 0910-AG98 End of comment period May 31, 2014 March 31, 2016
Focused Mitigation Strategies To Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration 0910-AG63 Final Rule May 31, 2016
FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Amendments to Reportable Food Registry (RFR Requirements) 0910-AG97 ANPRM Comment Period End June 9, 2014 N/A

  The following is a list of other food safety issues addressed in the agenda:

Agency Agenda Stage of Rulemaking Title RIN Date of Action
HHS/FDA Proposed Rule Stage Food Labeling; Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels 0910-AF22 June 2, 2014
HHS/FDA Proposed Rule Stage Food Labeling: Serving Sizes of Foods That Can Reasonably Be Consumed At One-Eating Occasion; Dual-Column Labeling; Updating, Modifying, and Establishing Certain RACCs 0910-AF23 June 2, 2014
HHS/FDA Proposed Rule Stage Food Labeling; Gluten-Free Labeling of Fermented, Hydrolyzed, or Distilled Foods 0910-AH00 Sept. 2014
HHS/FDA Final Rule Stage Veterinary Feed Directive 0910-AG95 April 2015
HHS/FDA Proposed Rule Stage Registration of Food Facilities: Amendments to Food Facility Registration Requirements 0910-AG69 Sept. 2014
USDA/APHIS Final Rule Stage Importation of Poultry and Poultry Products From Regions Affected With Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza 0579-AC36 Sept. 2014
USDA/FSIS Proposed Rule Stage Product Labeling: Use of the Voluntary Claim “Natural” on the Labeling of Meat and Poultry Products 0583-AD30 July 2014
USDA/FSIS Proposed Rule Stage Records to be Kept by Official Establishments and Retail Stores That Grind Raw Beef Products 0583-AD46 July 2014
USDA/FSIS Proposed Rule Stage Public Information; Communications With Federal Agencies, State and Foreign Government Officials, and International Organizations 0583-AD50 Dec. 2014
USDA/FSIS Proposed Rule Stage Addition of Namibia to the List of Countries Eligible to Export Meat Products to the United States 0583-AD51 Dec. 2014
USDA/FSIS Proposed Rule Stage Affirmation of Interim Final Rule With Amendments: Control of Listeria Monocytogenes in Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products 0583-AD53 Aug. 2014
USDA/FSIS Proposed Rule Stage Requirements for the Disposition of Non-Ambulatory Disabled Veal Calves 0583-AD54 Aug. 2014
USDA/FSIS Proposed Rule Stage Change in Accredited Lab Fees 0583-AD55 Sept. 2014
USDA/FSIS Final Rule Stage Mandatory Inspection of Certain Fish, Including Catfish and Catfish Products 0583-AD36 Dec. 2014
USDA/FSIS Final Rule Stage Electronic Imported Product Inspection Application and Certification of Imported Product and Foreign Establishments; Amendments to Facilitate the Public Health Information System (PHIS) 0583-AD39 May 2014
USDA/FSIS Final Rule Stage Electronic Export Application and Certification as a Reimbursable Service and Flexibility in the Requirements for Official Export Inspection Marks, Devices, and Certificates 0583-AD41 Sept. 2014
USDA/FSIS Final Rule Stage Common or Usual Name for Raw Meat and Poultry Products Containing Added Solutions 0583-AD43 July 2014