FDA proposes new food safety standards to prevent foodborne illness

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed two new food safety regulations for both domestic and imported food items in order to prevent food contamination.

The first rule will require food manufacturers to set up a formal plan to prevent their food products from causing foodborne illness, and also develop plans for correcting any problems that occur.

This rule applies to manufacturers that produce food for the US market, at both foreign and domestic-based facilities.

The second rule outlines enforceable safety standards for the production and harvesting of produce on farms.

This rule recommends science- and risk-based standards for the safe production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables.

Available for public comment for the next 120 days, the new rules are part of the country’s efforts to implement the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act shifts the food safety focus from reactive to preventive.

"With the support of industry, consumer groups, and the bipartisan leadership in Congress, we are establishing a science-based, flexible system to better prevent foodborne illness and protect American families," Sebelius noted.

The new proposed rules follow an outreach by the FDA to the produce industry, the consumer community, other government agencies as well as the international community.

Since January last year, FDA staff have visited farms and facilities across the country and participated in a number of meetings and presentations with global regulatory partners, industry stakeholders, consumer groups, farmers, state and local officials, and the research community.

According to the agency, the US is currently facing a considerable burden of foodborne illness with one in every six Americans suffering from a foodborne illness every year and, of those, about 130,000 are hospitalised and 3,000 die from their illness.

The FDA anticipates that preventing foodborne illnesses will improve public health, reduce medical costs, and avoid the disturbances in the food system caused by illness outbreaks and large-scale recalls.

Additional rules to be introduced soon include new responsibilities for importers to verify that food products developed or processed overseas are as safe as food produced domestically, and accreditation standards to fortify the quality of third-party food safety audits overseas.