In his recent article The Food Safety Modernization Act — Global Impacts for Microbiological Food Safety, Dr. Roy Betts describes the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) as “the most significant change in food safety legislation in 70 years,” comparing the impact to the original bestowing of oversight to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1938.1 Designed in response to unacceptable levels of foodborne illness, the FSMA refocuses the FDA response from reaction to prevention. In the event that food safety issues occur, the FSMA also extends the reach of the FDA with new enforcement authority for both domestic and imported food products .
The FSMA comprises four parts, or titles, that govern various aspects of food safety.
Title I. Improving capacity to prevent food safety problems |
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Title II. Improving capacity to detect and respond to food safety problems |
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Title III. Improving the safety of imported foods |
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Title IV. Miscellaneous provisions |
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The FDA have now released six of the seven final rules for the FSMA. Key features include:
Human Foods Preventative Controls |
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Animal Feed Preventative Controls |
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Produce Safety |
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FSVP for Importers (Human Food & Animal Feed) |
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Accredited Third Party Certification |
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According to the author, this movement from reacting to foodborne illness outbreaks to actively preventing them via hazard analysis and control measures is a major step for the US food industry. He highlights that where final product testing is used as a control, the results may be available long after food has been shipped and in many cases consumed. Application of preventative measures as required within the FSMA uses microbiological testing within the whole system as one of the verification tools, to give users confidence that the system is working. Further reading on the impact of FSMA on imported food products and testing can be accessed in part three of this three-part series or by visiting the Food and Beverage community.
Reference:
1 Betts, Roy. (2016) ‘The Food Safety Modernization Act — Global Impacts for Microbiological Food Safety.’ Culture 36 (1).
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