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FDA listening session on proposed produce rules
Story Date: 3/1/2013
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Source: NCDA&CS, 2/28/13
FDA Listening Session On Jan. 4, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a proposed rule focused on measures that produce farmers and packers should take to prevent the contamination of fresh fruits and vegetables. For the first time, produce growers will be subject to FDA regulation on the farm. The rule proposal is a result of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act, which is focused on preventing contamination in food. The FDA is collecting comments about the rule before finalizing it. The deadline for comments is May 16. You can comment on the proposed rules here.
On Feb. 20 the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services held a listening session for N.C. produce farmers and packers interested in learning more about the FDA's proposed fresh-produce rule. Commissioner Troxler hosted FDA Deputy Commissioner Michael Taylor; Steve Solomon, acting deputy associate commissioner for regulatory affairs; and James Gorny, senior advisor for produce safety, who presented information about the rule and answered questions from the audience. Richard Linton, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at N.C. State University, also made remarks. Watch the entire listening session here.
North Carolina was the first of only five states to host a listening session about the rule. An estimated 135 people attended the listening session, including producers, food safety experts, industry consultants and representatives of agricultural commodity associations. About 300 people, including 70 attending the N.C. Tomato Growers Association meeting in Asheville, watched the live stream on the Web. Questions were submitted via email by viewers in North Carolina, California, Vermont, South Carolina and Georgia.
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