Tag Archives: FSMA

FDA offers helping hand in FSMA compliance

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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 … Read more...

First FSMA rules in effect July 3. Are you ready?

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Earlier this week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the first set of rules under the landmark Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), legislation signed earlier this year which gives the FDA sweeping powers to prevent food safety disasters.

The two new rules, which take effect July 3, are pretty logical preventive measures that, in all fairness, probably should have been implemented a long time ago. The new rules are as follows:

  • Order on Administration Detention of Food: The first new rule gives the FDA the authority to hold food products that may be contaminated or mislabeled. Before now, the administration only had the right to detain food when it had sufficient evidence it was mislabeled or contaminated, thereby presenting a threat to humans or animals. Now if the FDA even suspects contamination or mislabeling, it can detain the product.
  • Rule on Imported Food:  Organizations importing food now have
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