WASHINGTON, April 18, 2013 – FDA Commissioner Margaret
Hamburg today announced that FDA intends to extend the comment period for the
Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) proposed rules by another 120 days. The
comment period was originally set to end May 16.
Commissioner Hamburg’s remarks about the comment period
extension, made today on Capitol Hill, come only days after a number of
agricultural groups sent
a joint letter to FDA requesting the extension.
“Based on our current analysis, it would be impossible for
any interested party to meaningfully comment on these two proposed rules by the
current deadline of May 16, 2013 given they propose such a substantial overhaul
of the structure of food safety regulation,” they wrote.
Others complained of the timing of the comment period, which
coincided with the busy growing season.
Two new food safety rules were
released at the beginning of this year, two years after Congress passed
FSMA. The first rule,
which will primarily affect farmers, proposes a number of safety standards for
the production of fruits and vegetables.
The
second rule will require food producers to “develop a formal plan for
preventing their food products from causing foodborne illnesses,” according to
an FDA press release. Producers will also have to create contingency plans to correct
for any problems that arise during the manufacturing process.
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