News & Information

Food Safety Rules to Change

By the end of the year, Congress is expected to pass legislation that will bring about major changes in U.S. food safety. Recent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses have sparked the need for food-safety reform.

The changes will focus on prevention rather than reaction to food supply emergencies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be given more authority to force manufacturers to adhere to standards that will help to ensure food safety. High risk facilities will be subjected to more frequent inspections. All facilities along the food chain will participate in a new food tracking system that will be established to help officials track contaminated foods back to their source.

Contamination within the food supply is not only a public health threat, but an economic threat as well. A new $500 annual fee on food producers will help to fund the FDA’s added responsibilities. Fees will be capped at $175,000 annually for companies owning multiple facilities.

Sources:
FDA Commissioner Faces Formidable To-Do List
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/17/AR200906...

Food-safety rules face biggest change in years
http://www.homeland1.com/bioterrorism-biodefense-food-safety/articles/50...

Precipitating Event:
Between September 3, 2008 and December 31, 2008 more than 400 people in 43 U.S. states were sickened with Salmonella infections from contaminated peanut products. Three people died as a result of the contaminations.

Prevention Relevance:
A bioterrorism attack or naturally occurring contamination of the U.S food supply could potentially endanger countless lives across the nation and have a major negative effect on the economy.

Prevention Techniques:
Risk Management: Complete and accurate record keeping by food companies may help to track food contamination in the event of a bioterrorism attack to the food supply

Prevention Thought:
Risk Management: Do you think the new changes will better protect the U.S. Food Supply?

IPS Contact Information:
The Institute for Preventive Strategies is a national service of the Center for Rural Development, a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Somerset Kentucky.

You may contact the Institute by e-mail at: info@preventivestrategies.net

You may correspond with the Institute at:

Institute for Preventive Strategies
2292 South Highway 27, Suite 300
Somerset, KY 42501

Telephone: 1-800-860-6657

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