The Food and Drug Administration published four revised provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act today. The rules are for produce safety, preventive controls for human food, preventive controls for animal food, and Foreign Supplier Verification Programs.
The produce safety rules is being revised for more flexible criteria for determining agricultural water safety along with a tiered approach to water testing. In addition, the government is deferring its decision on the correct time interval between applying raw manure to a crop and harvesting it, removing the original nine-month limit.
On the preventive controls for human and animal foods, requirements that facilities test products is revised. Supplier controls will also be implemented. Good manufacturing practice requirements are being modified to make rules more applicable to animal food.
And in the foreign supplier verification program, a comprehensive analysis of the potential risks associated with foreign suppliers will be added. The government is also adding more flexibility for importers when determining appropriate supplier verification.
Comments on the language of these revised provisions will be allowed for 75 days after they are published in the Federal Register. FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor said that the decision to allow comments on revised proposals is unusual, but that “the reissues show the agency’s determination to get the rules right.”
