As any American food producer knows, the landscape of food safety is changing.
Back in January, President Barack Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law. The act, a sweeping bill with the most significant changes to food safety in nearly 70 years, will affect thousands of food producers across the U.S. and, in light of some new stringent rules related to imports, around the world as well.
Specific requirements of the act have trickling out of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) throughout the year, including mandatory recall powers for the FDA, increased protection for whistleblowers, the ability to hold products that may be mislabeled, and more.
But the full scope of the rulemaking that follow the FSMA will only be known as the act is implemented over the course of the next year.
However, businesses who want up-to-the-minute news on implementation progress ought to head to the FDA’s FSMA online resource. This site features an array of helpful information and tools on all aspects of the FSMA, including a fantastic implementation timeline, as well as the opportunity to sign up for handy email updates on breaking FSMA news.
