Update: Your Attendance is Critical at Food Safety Rule Listening Sessions

Update 04/30/13:

The FDA has extended the comment period on the proposed food safety regulations until September 16.  This change was made as a result of numerous requests for more time to review the proposals, which are complex.  The additional time offers CCOF members an opportunity to provide more feedback about the proposals, areas for concerns, or suggested changes. We encourage you to continue sending us your feedback to policy@ccof.org.

Original Post 03/13/13:

I wanted to take this opportunity to update CCOF members on the FDA proposed rules for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act.

CCOF is cosponsoring two listening sessions with the FDA to discuss the bills. We hope our members will turn out in droves to ask questions, express their concerns, and hear what the FDA has to say.

Listening Sessions:

April 9, 2013
9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Proposed Produce Safety Rule
International Agri-Center
4500 S. Laspina Street.
Tulare, CA
Register online

April 11, 2013
9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Proposed Produce Safety Rule

1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Proposed Preventive Controls Rule

Heidrick Ag History Center
1962 Hays Lane
Woodland, CA
Register online

If you plan on going, please email us at policy@ccof.org  as we’d like to be able to coordinate questions and messages to the FDA.

In preparation for the listening sessions, we encourage you to read OTA’s more detailed summaries of the proposals, as well as the FDA PowerPoint presentation on the proposed rules. Questions can be sent to FSMA@fda.hhs.gov.

Produce Safety Rule

The proposed Produce Safety Rule would establish standards for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding produce in light of identified routes of microbial contamination of produce. There are exemptions for small operations and categories of produce not consumed raw.

The produce safety rule would exempt:

• Produce for personal or on-farm consumption
• Produce not a Raw Agricultural Commodity
• Certain produce rarely consumed raw
• Produce that will receive commercial processing
• Farms with sales of $25,000 or less per year

For more specifics, we encourage members to review the USDA decision tree on coverage and exemptions from the Produce Safety Rule.

Take Action!

Submit written comments on the proposed Produce Safety Rule.

Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule

The proposed Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule focuses on preventing problems that can cause foodborne illness, and would apply to food processors. These firms would be required to have written food safety plans that identify hazards and specify the steps that will be put in place to minimize or prevent those hazards.

Take Action!

Submit written comments on the proposed Preventive Controls Rule.

If you want to learn more about these proposals, and how they might affect you, we encourage you to attend these FDA listening sessions. It will be an important opportunity to express your questions or concerns. I hope to see you there!