Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final rule that extends the compliance dates for certain provisions in four of the seven foundational rules of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
These changes are part of FDA’s efforts to ensure the feasibility of implementation of the rules while still protecting public health. The final rule also clarifies the timeframe for agricultural water testing. The four rules that will be impacted are as follows:
- Produce Safety Rule
- Preventive Controls for Human Food
- Preventive Controls for Food for Animals
- Foreign Supplier Verification Programs
While some compliance dates for these four rules will be delayed, FDA is still moving forward on implementing the major provisions of the FSMA rules. The first major compliance date begins on September 19, 2016, for large food facilities that produce human food.
FDA also released the first five chapters (of 14 chapters total) in a new draft guidance created to help industry comply with FSMA. Stakeholders will have 180 days to comment on the first wave of the new draft guidance and are invited to discuss the guidance with FDA during an industry webinar scheduled for September 19, 2016. FDA plans to disseminate additional chapters of the draft guidance for public comment as they are completed—with all chapters released by early 2018. Western Growers encourages members to comment on the rules as it applies to your operations. Comments can be submitted starting August 24, 2016.
FSMA Resources:
- FDA’s announcement on FSMA compliance date extensions and release of draft guidance
- Details on compliance date extensions and clarifications for FSMA final rules
- Western Growers’ FSMA Resources Portal
For questions about FSMA, contact Sonia Salas at (949) 885-2251 or Hank Giclas at (949) 885-2205.