California Ag TODAY: EXTENSION OF FSMA COMMENT PERIOD TO NOVEMBER 22, 2013

The FDA announced TODAY it has extended the Comment Period for the Proposed Rules for Produce Safety and Preventive Controls for Human Food to November 22, 2013.

FDA invites public comment on its proposed rule on preventive controls for human food that focuses on preventing problems that can cause foodborne illness.

The proposed rule, which is required by FDA FSMA, would apply to many domestic and foreign firms that manufacture, process, pack or hold human food. These firms would be required to have written plans that identify hazards, specify the steps that will be put in place to minimize or prevent those hazards, identify monitoring procedures and record monitoring results and specify what actions will be taken to correct problems that arise. FDA would evaluate the plans and continue to inspect facilities to make sure the plans are being implemented properly.

The proposed rule is aimed at reducing the public health burden of foodborne illness. FDA estimates that 1 million cases of foodborne illnesses are attributable each year to the pathogens this rule is designed to eliminate or reduce. The economic cost of illnesses avoided is $2 billion a year.

The proposed rule has a first-year cost to industry of $701 million and an annualized cost of $472 million using a 7 percent discount rate according to Office of Management and Budget guidelines. The proposed rule would cover an estimated 97,600 domestic and 109,200 foreign facilities.