Food Safety Modernization Act
Encyclopedia
The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), also called the Food Safety Act, was signed into law on January 4, 2011.
(FDA) the authority to order recalls of contaminated food, amongst other powers not here disclosed, a power it did not have prior to the possible enactment of the Food Safety Act. As a major overhaul of food safety laws and regulations, the acts stated purpose is to provide a safer food supply and a more stable food industry, but, it will also vastly broaden the power of the FDA to regulate any aspect of food production.
Congress agreed that the need for food safety enhancements was pressing due to the large burden of foodborne illness in the United States. Approximately 48 million people, or 1 out of 6 people in the United States, will suffer from foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year according to CDC estimates.
The FSMA includes five main areas of food safety enhancements :
•Preventive controls: The FSMA will shift the FDA’s approach to food safety from responding to outbreaks to preventing them. This will be accomplished by holding food production facilities accountable for implementing safe and effective measures to prevent contamination.
•Inspection and Compliance: The FDA will use existing resources to modify inspection strategies appropriate for the food industry.
•Imported Food Safety: The legislation gives FDA greater oversight of imported food products into the United Sates from other countries. The FSMA requires that U.S. importers verify supplier activities to ensure a safe food supply, and allows the FDA to mandate certification and compliance with food safety requirements. Additionally, the FDA can decline admission of imported foods if the foreign producers refuse FDA inspection.
•Response: The FSMA gives the FDA authority to issue mandatory recalls for all food products.
•Enhanced Partnerships: The legislation acknowledges the value of strong collaboration among food safety agencies. It includes provisions to build inter-agency collaboration and capacity of food safety programs, and improve training of food safety officials.
, which is responsible for everything in the U.S. food supply except for meat, poultry and processed eggs (i.e. not including raw eggs in their shells). Those are overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture
. Prior to 2010, food-safety advocates and the food industry had been working on the overhaul for more than a decade. Under the new rules, the FDA's focus shifts to stopping outbreaks before they start, by requiring farmers to address places in production where contamination might occur and to require processors to implement written food-safety plans.
HR2751
The as yet unratified law gives the Food and Drug AdministrationFood and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) the authority to order recalls of contaminated food, amongst other powers not here disclosed, a power it did not have prior to the possible enactment of the Food Safety Act. As a major overhaul of food safety laws and regulations, the acts stated purpose is to provide a safer food supply and a more stable food industry, but, it will also vastly broaden the power of the FDA to regulate any aspect of food production.
Congress agreed that the need for food safety enhancements was pressing due to the large burden of foodborne illness in the United States. Approximately 48 million people, or 1 out of 6 people in the United States, will suffer from foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year according to CDC estimates.
The FSMA includes five main areas of food safety enhancements :
•Preventive controls: The FSMA will shift the FDA’s approach to food safety from responding to outbreaks to preventing them. This will be accomplished by holding food production facilities accountable for implementing safe and effective measures to prevent contamination.
•Inspection and Compliance: The FDA will use existing resources to modify inspection strategies appropriate for the food industry.
•Imported Food Safety: The legislation gives FDA greater oversight of imported food products into the United Sates from other countries. The FSMA requires that U.S. importers verify supplier activities to ensure a safe food supply, and allows the FDA to mandate certification and compliance with food safety requirements. Additionally, the FDA can decline admission of imported foods if the foreign producers refuse FDA inspection.
•Response: The FSMA gives the FDA authority to issue mandatory recalls for all food products.
•Enhanced Partnerships: The legislation acknowledges the value of strong collaboration among food safety agencies. It includes provisions to build inter-agency collaboration and capacity of food safety programs, and improve training of food safety officials.
FDA
The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 overhauls the Food and Drug AdministrationFood and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
, which is responsible for everything in the U.S. food supply except for meat, poultry and processed eggs (i.e. not including raw eggs in their shells). Those are overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
. Prior to 2010, food-safety advocates and the food industry had been working on the overhaul for more than a decade. Under the new rules, the FDA's focus shifts to stopping outbreaks before they start, by requiring farmers to address places in production where contamination might occur and to require processors to implement written food-safety plans.