The sweeping act will shift safety focus from responding to food contamination to preventing it. The US District Court for the Northern District of California ruled on August 13 against the FDA’s attempt to delay implementing the legislation.
Judge will not grant “extension after extension”
Judge Phyllis Hamilton, who refused to grant an extension to the existing 2014-2015 deadlines, stated: “The court understands the FDA’s position, and is in sympathy with it, but remains of the opinion that the dispute here is between the FDA and Congress.
“This court is unwilling to grant extension after extension, or to permit the FDA to continually delay publication of this rule, in the face of the clear Congressional directive that this be a closed-end process.”
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act represents the most thorough reform of US food safety laws since the 1930s. It requires the FDA to establish science-based standards for safe food production and grants the FDA new enforcement and inspection powers, including the authority to suspend food plants and force recalls.
The FDA missed the original July 2012 deadline set by US Congress for FSMA’s food safety rules to come into effect.
In a suit then filed by the Center for Food Safety (CFS), a federal court found in April 2013 that the FDA had violated the law by neglecting these deadlines.
CFS claimed during litigation “the agency’s unlawful delay is putting millions of lives at risk from contracting foodborne illnesses”.
The lawsuit attacked the FDA for failing to implement “seven critical deadlines” regarding: 1) science-based preventative controls, 2) FDA powers to suspend food facilities, 3) standards for harvesting fruit and vegetables, 4) preventing intentional contamination, 5) hygienic transportation, 6) screening foreign imports, and 7) the neutrality of third-party audits.
The federal court ruled against the FDA and set new deadlines for FSMA’s targets, which the FDA moved to delay once again in July 2013.
The Center for Food Safety is known for using legal action to campaign for organic and sustainable agriculture. In 2013, CFS has filed lawsuits seeking to ban arsenic in animal feed, insecticides that endanger bees, and groundwater pollution from dairy factories.
Throughout litigation, the FDA has contended that the complexity of the issues and the workload and staff required have been hurdles to meeting statutory deadlines.
“Without additional funding, FDA will be challenged in implementing the legislation fully without compromising other key functions. We look forward to working with Congress and our partners to ensure that FDA is funded sufficiently to achieve our food safety and food defense goals,”said the FDA’s website.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam's tilapia exports to Japan posted strong growth in the first half of 2026, while a promising new trend has emerged in the value-added product segment. Notably, Vietnamese tilapia fillets have been exported to Japan for use in sushi and sashimi, creating new opportunities to enhance the value of the industry in one of the world's most demanding seafood markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a relatively sluggish first quarter, Vietnam's exports of fish cakes and surimi showed a clearer recovery in the second quarter, particularly in June. Export value in the first six months of 2026 reached USD 148 million, down 2% year on year. However, the newly imposed 12.5% additional U.S. tariff on Vietnamese goods, intensifying competition in Northeast Asia, and increasingly stringent traceability requirements in the EU are making the outlook for the second half of the year more uncertain.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In June 2026, Vietnam's shrimp exports reached nearly USD 458 million, up 24% year-on-year. In the first six months of 2026, export value totaled USD 2.35 billion, an increase of 14.2% compared with the same period last year. Growth was driven mainly by the Chinese market and the strong performance of lobster exports, while shrimp exports continued to face pressure from U.S. tariffs and rising logistics costs.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As part of Vietfish 2026, the Hosted Buyer Program is designed as a specialized B2B matchmaking initiative for selected international buyers, providing opportunities to meet directly with Vietnamese seafood exporters, gain the latest market insights, and experience Vietnam's seafood supply chain firsthand.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) A project titled "Sustainable Shrimp Industry Governance" has been launched in Ca Mau Province with the aim of supporting the transition of the province's shrimp industry toward higher quality, lower emissions, stronger governance capacity, improved supply chain traceability, and the development of a sustainable shrimp brand that meets the increasingly stringent requirements of export markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Khanh Hoa Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, in collaboration with the Northern Center for Marine Aquaculture Research and the Van Hung Public Service Center, recently organized a training course on disease-free golden pompano seed production. The program is part of a National Agricultural Extension Project aimed at developing industrial-scale seed production models to support sustainable marine aquaculture.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports have shown encouraging signs of recovery in 2026. In the first four months of the year, total export turnover reached USD 720 million, up 17% compared to the same period last year. This result reflects improving demand across many markets, as well as the efforts of Vietnamese pangasius enterprises to maintain production, secure orders, and adapt to changing market conditions.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The application of high technology in shrimp farming is delivering positive results in the coastal areas of Vinh Long Province, contributing to improved production efficiency and creating significant potential for further industry expansion. However, to fully capitalize on this potential, the province is focusing on aquaculture zoning, infrastructure investment, and promoting modern, sustainable production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Đồng Tháp Province has intensified efforts to curb illegal fishing by strengthening vessel monitoring, law enforcement and seafood traceability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood businesses need solutions to overcome bottlenecks such as labor shortages, difficulty accessing capital, high input costs, and administrative procedures in order to maintain production, adapt to market fluctuations, and effectively exploit export opportunities.
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