Organisations welcome new food safety rules
“PMA welcomes the release of the proposed rules on foreign supplier verification programs and accreditation of third-party auditors from the FDA for several reasons: first, we know food safety is a top priority for our global produce industry and the implications of these proposals are critically important to our members’ businesses and to our overall objective of increasing produce consumption. It’s important that these proposed rules are geared toward advancing produce safety in a meaningful way for industry members that also protects public health."
“As we continue to develop comments over the next few months, we’ll work with our global membership to submit commentary to the FDA. Once the FDA reviews all the comments submitted, they’ll revise the rules in a final form which will include a timeline for implementation."
“We will provide an online summary of the proposed rules and will be conducting a number of outreach activities for members including scheduling webinars designed to describe key components of the proposals and answer member questions.
“The rules for imported foods and third-party auditor accreditation will have a critically important role in the safety of fresh produce,” said Tom Stenzel, president and CEO of United Fresh. “United Fresh will immediately begin a comprehensive review of these new draft rules and work closely with FDA to ensure that they contribute to our mutual goal of continued food safety improvement."
“Initially, we don’t see any surprises in FDA’s draft rules on imported foods and third-party auditor accreditation,” said Dr. David Gombas, senior vice president for food safety and technology. “However, it’s important that we thoughtfully review them in a line-by-line fashion, including analysis of their interaction with other FSMA draft rules, to ensure they advance food safety and are workable for the industry.”