Food Protection Trends - July/August 2013 - (Page 252)

SPECIAL INTEREST PAPER The Food Safety Modernization Act – A Series on What is Essential for a Food Professional to Know [ Article 4. Produce Safety Standards [ john t. allan Director of Regulatory and International Affairs American Frozen Food Institute 2000 Corporate Ridge, Suite 1000 McLean, VA 22102 ABSTRACT The U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is a significant and far-reaching update of the laws and subsequent regulations that affect the safety of domestically produced and imported foods regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Through FSMA, the U.S. Congress provides the FDA with greater powers and directs it to develop regulations that will focus the food industry on the prevention of foodborne illness. This series of articles will describe the legal “basics” for the readers of Food Protection Trends. This fourth article focuses on the produce safety standards that farms must implement. Future articles will examine the provisions of FSMA that govern imported food requirements, lab accreditation, food defense and state surveillance reforms. INTRODUCTION Impetus for FSMA produce safety standards On January 4, 2011, the most significant revision of our nation’s food safety laws in many decades was signed into law. The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA, or “the Act”) was the product of several years of efforts within Congress to reform the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FSMA gives FDA new powers and transforms the nation’s food safety system from one that is reactive to one that is more pro-active. FSMA outlines the type of preventive control methods the industry will be responsible for implementing and documenting to help ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply. Currently, FDA has very little oversight of the fresh produce industry, and what it does have is largely through voluntary guidance, including the good agricultural practices (GAPs) guide, “Fresh-Cut Guide,” and draft commodity-specific guidance documents. The fresh produce industry has been hit hard, however, over the past several years with a series of large recalls and outbreaks of illness linked to various items, including spinach, cantaloupes, mangoes, romaine lettuce and sprouts. Despite the rise in industry-driven efforts to improve produce safety, including third-party audits and certification of good agriculture practices, Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)-related food safety schemes (e.g., GlobalGAP, SQF), and the development of productspecific safety standards, such as the California Leafy Greens Handlers Marketing Agreement, outbreaks and recalls have continued. This article, focusing on the FSMA-mandated produce safety standards, is one in a series of Food Protection Trends articles outlining several of the most impactful provisions of FSMA and describes the elements and timing of its implementation. The series will provide a primer for food safety professionals who do not have a strong food law and regulations background. Although FDA released the proposed rule on January 16 this year, the focus of this article will be primarily on the statute. *Author for correspondence: Phone: +1 703.821.0770; E-mail: jallan@affi.com 252 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS JULY–AUGUST 2013 After numerous calls for the FDA to step in and set more stringent food safety requirements for the entire fresh produce industry, essentially “raising the bar” for all producers—both foreign and domestic—wishing to sell product in the U.S., the U.S. Congress included Section 105 – Standards for Produce Safety into the FSMA.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - July/August 2013

Food Protection Trends - July/August 2013
Contents
Commentary
The Development and Use of the Food and Agriculture Systems Criticality Assessment Tool (FASCAT)
Evaluation of Process Control to Prevent Contamination of Beef With Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli (STEC) in U.S. Export Abattoirs in Honduras and Nicaragua
Food Safety Performance: Labeling and Indications of Allergens
Expectations and Applications of Natural Antimicrobials to Foods a Guidance Document for Users, Suppliers, Research and Development, and Regulatory Agencies
FSMA: Article 4
Research Spotlight
Beyond the Bio
Industry Products
PDG Highlight
Coming Events

Food Protection Trends - July/August 2013