Traceability / FSMA / FDA
In September 2020, the FDA released a long awaited proposed rule update to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) section 204. This week the period for public comments on the rule officially closed, marking a deadline for organizations and businesses to provide feedback and guidance on the drafted record keeping requirements. Read an abridged version of FoodLogiQ's comments on the traceability rule below.
The FDA hosted a webinar this week taking a retrospective look at the first 100 days of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, in addition to exploring how the initiative and blueprint will continue to build towards its key goals.
FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas led the event, which brought visibility into the two-year roadmap for the agency, and underscored how progress that has already been made fits into the FDA’s broader strategic approach to food safety and technological advancements in the food system, since the New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint was published.
Every week FoodLogiQ will be aggregating the latest updates and resources for businesses navigating the changing food industry. Learn how the industry leaders are adapting to protect and feed consumers, while building resilience in the face of global crisis.
The FDA hosted a webinar this week to provide further detail on the latest work surrounding their Leafy Greens Action Plan. The hour-long event was designed to provide an update on key initiatives associated with the plan, including a new protocol for pre harvest agricultural water, as well as additional details on early pilot programs for leafy greens.
The FDA has published the 2020 Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan to combat foodborne illness and outbreaks caused by leafy greens.
The leafy green industry has fallen under intense scrutiny in recent years due to outbreaks like the 2018 romaine lettuce recall and the romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak of 2019. Between 2009 and 2018 alone, the FDA stated they have identified “40 foodborne outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections in the U.S. with a confirmed or suspected link to leafy greens.” The impact of these outbreaks on both public health and food businesses has surfaced persistent vulnerabilities in the leafy greens industry’s food safety practices, which investigations found to be compounded by poor visibility into a complex supply chain.
The FDA’s public meeting held in October, 2019 highlighted the need to bring both public and private industry partners together. It will take tremendous collaboration to advance a New Era of Smarter Food Safety at scale. Public dialogue around food safety and traceability is essential to accomplish the goals of this new campaign, which will be people-led, FSMA-based, and technology-enabled. To contribute to public discourse, FoodLogiQ has formally submitted comments on the initiative, read the full version of our statement here.
