The FDA has issued the final rule on food traceability under the Food Safety and Modernization Act of 2011 (FSMA). Traceability is the ability to identify foods that may be contaminated, especially if that food is suspected as being part of an outbreak. The rule establishes traceability record keeping requirements for anyone who manufacturers, processes, packs, or holds foods that are on the Food Traceability List. Companies and people subject to this rule must maintain records containing Key Data Elements associated with specific Critical Tracking Events. They must provide information to the FDA within 24 hours or some other time frame to which the FDA has agreed. Foods that are on the Food Traceability List include: cheeses other than hard cheeses, specifically soft and … [Read more...]
FDA Proposes New Traceability Rule For Food Manufacturers
The FDA is proposing a new traceability rule for food manufacturers, as well as those who process, pack or hold foods on the Food Traceability List to help identify recipients of those foods quickly to help mitigate foodborne illness outbreaks. In the past few years, the government has blamed their inability to find the sources of foods that have caused outbreaks on traceability issues. This rule would be part of the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 (FSMA). The proposed rule is called Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods. It is a key component of the FDA's New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint. The comments periods for the proposed rule and information collection provisions have been extended until February 22, 2021. The rule would be a … [Read more...]
FDA to Launch “New Era of Smarter Food Safety”
Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Ned Sharpless and Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas are announcing a "New Era of Smarter Food Safety" to help combat increasing cases of foodborne illness in this country. It will incorporate elements and requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 with new and emerging technologies. This program will develop a "Blueprint for a New Era of Smarter Food Safety," which will address digital technologies, traceability, and food business models. One of the tools the press release lauds as a success in this type of model is the GenomeTrakr Network, which helps with investigations into foodborne outbreaks. One of the most important areas of foodborne illness investigation is traceability. Unless a contaminated food can be identified and then … [Read more...]
Food Safety and Consumer Groups Want FDA To Establish Rapid Traceability Of Produce
Food safety groups and consumer groups are calling on the FDA to establish requirements for rapid traceability of produce within the next six months. Nine organizations sent a letter to the FDA on May 24, 2018, after government officials have not solved the deadly multistate E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak linked to romaine lettuce. The groups that signed the letter include Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Federation of America, Food and Water Watch, STOP Foodborne illness, Consumers Union, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and three others. They want the FDA to implement "long overdue provisions of the 2011 FDA Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA)" that require the FDA to establish record keeping requirements for high risk foods that will enhance … [Read more...]
Spray-on DNA Bar Codes May be Coming to Produce
A California company called DNATrek is marketing a spray-on DNA barcode that could help track the origins of pathogenic bacteria during a food poisoning outbreak related to produce. Discovering the origin of the contamination is key to preventing further illnesses and alerting the public who may have purchased the contaminated product. The technology was developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and is licensed to DNATrek. Grocery stores get shipments of produce from all over the country and the world. Many distributors are involved in the supply chain, so traceback can be very difficult, especially since packing boxes with identifying information are quickly thrown away after the produce is shelved in the store. The contamination could have occurred in the field, during … [Read more...]
Canada Works To Improve Food Traceability
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is working to improve food traceability on a national level by creating partnerships with provincial governments. On Tuesday, the CFIA and the Prince Edward Island Department of Agriculture and Forestry signed an information sharing agreement that will make it easier to track livestock. "The ability to zero in on an animal that may be sick or a risk to food safety is important to protecting consumers and animals," Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, said in a statement. "Locating animals faster and more efficiently can help lessen the impact of these types of events at the farm-level." "This system will provide valuable information to help emergency responders take precautionary measures to protect human and animal health," said Prince Edward … [Read more...]
Chefs: Something’s Fishy About Imported Seafood Traceability
Despite our growing demand for information about where the seafood we eat comes from, Americans seldom get answers when it comes to imported fish and seafood. That’s why a group of more than 500 chefs and restaurant owners are calling on government leaders to require that all seafood in U.S. markets can be traced. Improving traceability will prevent fraud and keep seafood, which is sometimes illegally mislabeled out of U.S. markets, the group says. “Recent studies have found that seafood may be mislabeled as often as 25 to 70 percent of the time for popular species like red snapper, wild salmon and Atlantic cod, disguising fish that are less desirable, cheaper or more readily available,” the group’s letter to government leaders says. “With about 1,700 different species of seafood from … [Read more...]
