SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday finalized two rules designed to add safety requirements on the production of food for humans and fed to animals raised for food, part of a larger effort to improve safety regulations that prevent the spread of food-borne illnesses.
The two rules are the first of seven the agency is required to update under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, which was signed into law in 2011. The basis of the rule changes, according to the FDA, is to shift the agency's efforts from mostly reacting to contamination to a proactive system of prevention.
The preventive rules, as they are referred to, require manufacturers to develop and implement plans to prevent contamination, as well as outline responses to contamination if it happens.
"We've been working with states, food companies, farmers and consumers to create smart, practical and meaningful rules," said Michael R. Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine at the FDA, in a press release. "And we have made a firm commitment to provide guidance, technical assistance and training to advance a food safety culture that puts prevention first."
The proposed rule for preventive controls on human food requires manufacturers to keep detailed records and have specific plans in place for potential future contamination.
Specifically, the rule spells out requirements for a written food safety plan, hazard analysis, preventive controls, monitoring, corrective actions and corrections, verification, supply-chain program, recall plans, and associated records for each safety step.
The proposed preventive rule for animal food control contains specific requirements for factory personnel, plant and grounds, sanitation, water supply and plumbing, equipment and utensils, plant operations, holding and distribution, and holding and distribution of human food by-products for use as animal food.
The agency said the rules are based on extensive outreach since President Barack Obama signed the modernization act into law. This included research with consumers, farmers, and both experts on and members of the food industry, to create an applicable set of guidelines.
The FDA expects the new rules to assist manufacturers to better identify hazards and avoid problems, and will help the agency better oversee the industry and respond to future issues.
The rules will be officially published in the Federal Register on September 17 and some companies will need to be in compliance as early as September 2016.
