16.6: Safety Legislation
- Page ID
- 66392
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The Food Safety Moderization Act (FSMA), passed in 2010, was the first major food safety legislation since 1938. For the first time, it gives our Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the much-needed mandate to require comprehensive prevention measures across the food supply. For example, it gives the FDA the authority to recall food products, rather than relying on food manufacturers and distributors to do so voluntarily.
FSMA focuses on prevention e.g., it enhances FDA’s ability to oversee food that’s produced in other countries and imported into the U.S. It also establishes science-based standards for safe production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables.
Implementation of FSMA is urgent, and is dependent on annual funding by Congress. Each year in the U.S., an estimated 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from food borne illnesses. For a comprehensive and reliable source of food safety information, go to foodsafety.gov (e.g., latest recalls, how to keep food safe).
In 2020, the FDA announced the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, a plan to use emerging technologies to create a more digital, traceable, and safer food system in the next decade. fda.gov/food/new-era-smarter-food-safety
Microbes are the major culprit of food borne illnesses, making microbial hazards the leading concern of our food-safety experts. In contrast, consumers tend to focus on pesticide residues and food additives.