(fda.gov) FDA today announced
The Food Safety Modernization Act requires FDA to establish at least two pilot projects: one involving produce and one involving processed foods.
The pilots will evaluate methods and technologies for rapid and effective tracing of foods, including types of data useful for tracing, ways to connect the various points in the supply chain and how quickly the data are made available to FDA.
Key stakeholder groups, including industry, government, and consumers, will have input into the pilots. AFI President Bob Bauer is participating in an IFT group addressing this issue.
After the pilots are completed and additional data is gathered, FDA will initiate rulemaking on recordkeeping requirements for high-risk foods to facilitate tracing. FDA must define high-risk foods, considering such factors as the known risks of a food based on foodborne illness data, the likelihood a particular food has a high potential risk for contamination and the likely severity of an illness attributed to a particular food. FDA will hold three public meetings during the comment period on the proposed rule.