The first regulation reinforces the FDA power to prevent potentially unsafe foods from entering the market and allows the seizure of food believed to have been produced under unsafe conditions, even without credible evidence.
Starting in July, the FDA will be able to hold food products considered adulterated or misbranded for up to 30 days, while a decision is taken as to whether it should apply an enforcement action such as detainment or federal injunction against the distribution of the product.
"This is a prime example of how the new food safety law allows FDA to strenghten prevention into our food safety system," said FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods Mike Taylor.
In the past, the FDA would join efforts with state agencies to ban a certain food product under the state legal authority until federal enforcement action could be initiated in a federal court.
As to the second regulation, anyone importing food into the US must notify the FDA if any country has refused admission of the same product, including food for animals. This will give the agency more information on imported foods and thus improve its ability to target the ones that may pose a significant danger to public health.
Taylor commented that the new requirement can assist the FDA in its efforts to take more informed measures to manage the potential risks of imported food.
"Later this year and next year, these rules will be followed by a series of proposed rules for both domestic and imported food that will help the FDA continue building the new food safety system called for by Congress," he added.
Last month, the agency introduced a consumer-friendly web search engine for collecting information and sent the first yearly report to Congress covering FDA activities to safeguard the national food supply. FDA also issued a guidance report to the seafood industry, noting how it can reduce or eliminate food safety hazards.
Since the law was signed by President Obama in January, the FDA has hosted two large public meetings with industry and consumer groups on the law import and preventive control provisions and confidently approached partners in other federal, state and foreign governments.