With multiple recent foodborne illness outbreaks, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalized a set of groundbreaking rules to strengthen the farm food safety system, ensuring quality produce for Americans.
The new set of guidelines will require importers and producers to verify the cleanliness of their food, according to The Daily Meal.
Implemented by the bipartisan Food Safety Modernization Act, the rules are considered to be the FDA’s primary initiative towards the prevention of foodborne illness outbreaks. With random spot testing, health official hope to stop outbreaks at the source before contaminated food products can enter stores and mouths.
The Food Safety Modernization Act “establishes enforceable safety standards for produce farms and make importers accountable for verifying that imported food meets US safety standards,” according to the FDA and International Business Times.
Importers and distributors must also provide third-party auditing services to evaluate procedures at foreign food suppliers. The accredited bodies will be responsible for conducting an audit of foreign facilities, and finalized rules can help farmers and importers prevent future problems with operations.
The recent, high-profile outbreaks over the last few years have led the FDA to draft a new set of rules and regulations to ensure food safety.
The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) often can only respond after people have already fallen ill from contaminated food.
For instance, the recent salmonella outbreak from imported cucumbers crossed state lines and sickened hundreds of citizens, killing four and hospitalizing 157.
“The recent multistate outbreak…is exactly the kind of outbreak these rules can help prevent,” said the FDA’s Michael R. Taylor in a press release. “The new rules will help prevent people against such outbreak and will strengthen their confidence that proper food safety checks are in place.”
“For the first time these rules are going to require producers, growers, and importers to ensure that the food they produce or import has minimal contamination,” said Sarah Eskin, director of food safety research at the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Prior to the new law, importers were rarely held accountable for the safety of their products from foreign suppliers. Over half of all fresh fruit and 22 percent of fresh vegetables consumed in the United States are imported.
According to the CDC, over 48 million Americans suffer from foodborne illness each year. Out of those affected, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 people die from illnesses.
