Statement from FDA on Proposed FSMA Rules:  
Allowing Comment on Revised Rules

In a statement released Friday, the Food and Drug Administration acknowledges that the provisions they had made to the Food Safety Modernization Act rules on produce safety and preventive controls for human food as proposed would not adequately meet their goals of improving public health and had the potential to negatively impact producers with unnecessary burdens.

The FDA statement acknowledges the magnitude of the rules and the necessity of practicality for them to not only protect public health, however be flexible enough to account for the great diversity in agriculture products.

In recognizing this, FDA plans to release revised rule language and allow public comment to “[get] these rules right”. FDA will release their proposed rule language by early summer of 2014 and will only take comment on sections of the rule that have been revised.

Western Agricultural Processors Association (WAPA) will continue to track the issue, collaborate with FDA on these rules and continue to push for an effective and practical approach that is both health protective and practical for producers.