Happy birthday, FSMA!
Ten years ago, on Jan. 4, 2011, the Food Safety Modernization Act became law.
The Food and Drug Administration noted the anniversary with a reminder on what the agency and the industry have done and what still needs to be done.
Frank Yiannas, deputy commissioner for food policy and response, detailed the progress on food safety on the FDA website.
Food is safer in the U.S., including imported food, Yiannas said.
“Importantly, and as a result of FSMA, there has been a bigger conversation about the importance of food safety over the past decade,” he said in the statement. “This call to action has emanated from the halls of Congress to farms, food production facilities, corporate boardrooms and consumers all over the world.”
Yiannas notes the outreach the regulatory agency has made to the industry in the process.
“We’ve worked with stakeholders to ensure that the requirements don’t just look good on paper but work well in practice,” according to the statement. “We have tried our best to be up front about what we are doing and why. In fact, transparency is a hallmark of this journey we call FSMA.”
Yiannas notes the progress on FSMA over the past 10 years, including:
- Establishment of seven foundational rules outlining risk-based preventive measures;
- Requiring food safety plans and hazard analyses at companies that produce food;
- Released the New Era for Smarter Food Safety plan;
- Strengthened safety of imports, working with food safety counterparts in China, Mexico, Europe and Canada; and
- Released a proposed Food Traceability Rule (comments are being accepted until Feb. 22).
“We are working diligently to ensure that remaining FSMA rules and related guidance documents are finalized and implemented,” according to Yiannas. “But even when we have reached all of those milestones, we will always be working with industry on continuous improvement based on the latest science and the application of new technologies.”
Yiannas refers to a new era of modernization, which encompasses more than the updated traceability measures the FDA is seeking from the industry. The FDA recently announced plans to use lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic for virtual inspections, and the FDA will encourage growers and processors to use sensors to monitor critical and preventive control points.
Another “New Era” focus is using root-cause analysis to learn about the specific cause of a food safety issue.
“The leaders who envisioned FSMA had just this kind of continuous improvement in mind when they created a flexible regulatory framework that can adjust with advancements in science and technology,” Yiannas said in the statement.
Notes from the industry
Jennifer McEntire, senior vice president of food safety and technology for the United Fresh Produce Association, said the FSMA has "absolutely" benefitted food safety, not only for leveling the playing field with clear expectations. It has also brought attention and resources to food safety, she said in an e-mail.
"While strong produce safety practices predate FSMA, the Act and the resulting regulations heightened food safety awareness beyond the technical staff, and up to the decision makers," McEntire said in the e-mail. "Although implementation of most rules is underway, food safety is never 'done' and unfortunately you can’t measure prevention. FSMA gave us a momentum and focus that we need to maintain in order to keep providing consumers the safe products they deserve."
Max Teplitski, chief science officer for the Produce Marketing Association, said the FSMA was a bold step to a new future of food safety, and at 10 years old, it's about to enter "a painful teenage decade."
"We still need to sort out how to implement traceability, and after we implement it — we need to ensure that the significant investment it will take bears fruit," Teplitski said in an e-mail. "Most importantly, it is critical to continue to build a trusting working relationship between the industry and regulatory agencies, like FDA.
"Ensuring that the U.S. food supplies continues to be the safest in the world is the goal of the industry and the goal of the regulators, and it’s our collective responsibility to the consumers," he said in the e-mail. "Delivering on the congressional mandate of FSMA requires a significant investment of resources. It is a financial burden that the industry should not bear alone.”
