Proposed food safety rules miss the mark

The first major reform of food safety laws in seven decades, the Food Safety Modernization Act, was enacted in January 2011 with the intent of making food safer and reducing foodborne illness. However, the Food and Drug Administration’s plans to put FSMA rules in place are too broad to do the job well, according to farmers. Among Farm Bureau’s top concerns with the proposed regulations is FDA’s apparent unwillingness to focus on commodities that are associated with foodborne illness. “We urge FDA to reconsider standards that take into account the relative risks and comparative benefits associated with individual commodities. FDA should initially propose regulations for only those commodities with a history of microbial contamination,” Farm Bureau wrote in lengthy comments recently submitted to the FDA. Only once those regulations are successfully put in place and enforced, should FDA even consider expanding regulations to cover other commodities...more