Dear Editor,
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was founded due to the need to use scientific principles to ensure the production of safe food. This was presented in excellent fashion in the book “The Poison Squad” by Deborah Blum. The FDA has continued to utilize science and logic in
Continue Reading Letter to the Editor: Time to part ways with Part 114
— OPINION —
By Brian Ronholm, Director of Food Policy for Consumer Reports, and Frank Yiannas, Former Deputy Commissioner, Food Policy & Response, FDA
Both of us have dedicated our careers to advancing food safety and protecting the public. Collectively, we’ve done so at the height of federal service, in
Continue Reading Better food traceability – We can’t stop now
— OPINION —
In the landscape of food safety, the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) represents a monumental shift towards preventing contamination rather than merely responding to it. A new element of FSMA is the Food Traceability Final Rule (FSMA 204), which is designed to enhance the ability to
Continue Reading Undermining food safety: The threat of legislative rollbacks on FSMA 204
The FDA has published new resources to help industry comply with the Food Traceability Rule. These include:
The implementation of a new traceability rule is more than a year and a half away, and the FDA won’t start enforcing the requirements of the rule until 2027, but a former agency leader says companies should begin making changes now.
Frank Yiannas, the former deputy commissioner of food policy
Continue Reading New technology can help companies meet intent of food safety traceability rule
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Nov. 30 rolled out new tools and FAQs that will continue to inform stakeholders about the Food Traceability Rule and help covered entities come into compliance. The compliance date for all companies and people subject to the Food Traceability Rule isn’t until Jan.
Continue Reading FDA’s third wave of food traceability tips
The FDA has released its final food safety guidance for producers of sprouts, a food that has been linked to several outbreaks in recent years.
The document details recommendations on how sprout operators can comply with the sprout portion of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act, which establishes science-based standards
Continue Reading FDA publishes rule for production of sprouts
In the recent inaugural of his “Catching Up with Califf” blog, FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf called attention to the Global Food Security Index. Including measures for Quality and Safety, the United States ranked 13th in the most recent edition of the index for 2022.
The Global Food Security Index
Continue Reading FDA Commissioner points to improvement in U.S. ranking for food safety
— OPINION —
By Sharon Lindan Mayl
The Food and Drug Administration has issued many of its foundational rules in the 12 years since the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was passed, but the agency’s implementation efforts continue. On Nov. 21, 2022, the FDA published the long-awaited final Food Traceability Rule
Continue Reading FDA’s Traceability Rule: What are the next steps for the agency and industry
Under the FDA Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) rule, most U.S. importers must develop FSVP plans to provide adequate assurances that their foreign suppliers are producing food in compliance with processes and procedures that provide at least the same level of public health protection as those required under section 418
Continue Reading FDA tells what it knows about the Foreign Supplier Verification Program