FDA begins implementing sweeping food-safety law

Stephanie

Diamond Member
Jul 11, 2004
70,230
10,864
2,040
yea higher food prices coming, ENJOY

SNIP:
By Brady Dennis,
Jan 04, 2013 04:33 PM EST

The Washington Post Published: January 4
The Obama administration moved ahead Friday with the first major overhaul of the nation’s food-safety system in more than 70 years, proposing tough new standards for fruit and vegetable producers and food manufacturers.

The long-awaited proposals by the Food and Drug Administration are part of a fundamental change aimed at preventing food-borne outbreaks — caused by everything from leafy greens to canteloupes to peanut butter — rather than simply reacting to them. Every year, contaminated foods sicken an estimated 48 million Americans and kill 3,000.



Following woman’s death, relatives seek reassurances that others would not be treated as she was.

The rules, which span 1,200 pages, are aimed at creating safer conditions from farm to fork. Produce farmers would be required to ensure that their crops aren’t contaminated by bad water or animal waste. Some will likely be compelled to build fences to keep out wildlife and to provide adequate restrooms and hand-washing facilities for field workers.

Food-processing companies would be required to design and document an exhaustive regimen of sanitary measures — from pest control to bathroom cleanliness to what workers wear on the factory floor.

snip:
The FDA estimated that the produce regulations would cost a large farm roughly $30,000 a year. The agency exempted a wide array of fruits and vegetables that are almost always consumed only after being cooked or canned, from plantains to pumpkins to sweet potatoes.

all of it here with comments
FDA begins implementing sweeping food-safety law - The Washington Post
 

New Topics

Forum List

Back
Top