The US Food and Drug Administration’s release of proposed regulations to implement the cornerstone of the Food Safety Modernization Act has been delayed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, which is still in the review stage.
The Food and Drug Administration had hoped to release four separate sets of proposed regulations on January 4, the one-year anniversary of the Food Safety Modernization Act's signing into law.
Two of those sets of proposed rules will pertain to the requirement that food and feed facilities analyze hazards, implement appropriate preventive controls and develop written food/feed safety plans — each of which is intended to minimize or prevent the potential for products to be adulterated or misbranded. The set pertaining to animal feed, feed ingredient and petfood manufacturers will consist of a 200-page preamble, 100-page economic analysis and the text of the proposed regulations. The other two sets of proposed regulations pertain to law’s requirements that food and feed facilities implement a foreign supplier verification program; and produce growers and handlers implement hazard analysis, preventive controls and product-tracing systems for such products as fruits, vegetables, spinach and lettuce.
The final regulations must take effect by July 3.