FDA presents schedule for implementing Food Safety Modernization Act
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) at a conference yesterday presented a plan and schedule for implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed in 2011, according to Food Safety News.
At its "FSMA Kickoff Meeting," FDA officials gave food industry representatives an update on main components of the new law, declaring 2015 "the year of FSMA," the story said. Plans call for completing all of the rules within a year and requiring nearly all food makers to comply within 5 years.
Aug 30 is the deadline for the final rule on Preventive Controls for Human Food, which sets safety requirements for facilities that process, package, and store food, according to the story. Compliance deadlines are 1, 2, or 3 years after publication of the rule, depending on the size of the firm. The deadlines are the same for the Preventive Controls for Animal Food.
The deadline for completion of the Produce Safety Rule, which sets standards for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding produce, is Oct 31. Depending on company size, compliance deadlines are 2, 3, or 4 years after publication of the rule. It exempts farms that sell less than $25,000 worth of produce annually.
The deadlines for completion of other rules under the law are as follows:
- Foreign Supplier Verification Program, Oct 31, 2015
- Third-Party Certification of Auditors for Foreign Suppliers, Oct 31, 2015
- Sanitary Transportation Rule, Mar 31, 2016
- Intentional Adulteration Rule, Mar 31, 2016
Yesterday's meeting included listening sessions at which FDA officials heard concerns from many stakeholders, the story said. For example, domestic food manufacturers wanted to know how the FDA's new inspection system will affect them and how the agency will keep it consistent for all businesses.
Apr 24 Food Safety News story
Ohio ice cream company recalls products over Listeria detection
An ice cream maker in Columbus, Ohio, has recalled all its products after a sample tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes, thus becoming the second US ice cream company in recent months to recall products because of Listeria.
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams recalled all its ice creams, frozen yogurts, sorbets, and ice cream sandwiches yesterday after Listeria was found in a sample collected by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. In a press release, the company said it was of aware of no related illnesses but decided to recall the products to ensure consumer safety.
A company official said experts have been called in to help find the cause of the contamination and pledged that production will not be restarted until the safety of the products is ensured. The recalled products were distributed to retail outlets in the United States.
The action comes 4 days after Blue Bell Creameries recalled all of its products because of a Listeria outbreak involving 10 cases, including 3 deaths, in Kansas, Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma.
An FDA spokesman said the agency had no evidence of any connection between the Listeria found in Jeni's ice cream and that found in Blue Bell ice cream, the Associated Press (AP) reported today.
Apr 23 Jeni's recall statement
Apr 24 AP story
Company barred from selling sprouts after 2014 listeriosis outbreak
The discovery of Listeria last year in sprouts from a Chicago company has led to a consent decree that permanently bars the firm from selling mung bean and soybean sprouts, the FDA announced yesterday.
US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois issued the decree of permanent injunction Apr 22 against Wholesome Soybean Products, the FDA said.
Listeria was first found in the firm's products in August 2014, leading to a recall and production stoppage, the FDA said. In September, five listeriosis cases involving the strains found in the company's products were reported. Further testing by the FDA revealed Listeria in nine samples of company sprouts.
The FDA concluded that the firm couldn't safely produce sprouts in its facility, and in November the company agreed to shut down, the agency said.
Apr 23 FDA statement
Related Nov 10, 2014, CIDRAP News item