Food Safety

Food Safety

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Yesterday we ran a story talking about the EPA and how it might overreach now and then as is the case a lot of times with federal policy and agencies. However, not to always throw the government under the bus, the feds do a lot of great things for us as well. One of those is the fact that they create policy to make our food safer. Idaho State Department of Agriculture spokesperson Pamm Juker reminded me of that when she outlined some steps taken by the FDA in the form of the Food Safety Modernization Act. "in 2013 the FDA introduced a package of seven bills which is commonly referred to as he Food Safety Modernization Act rules. There are rules in that package of seven that address produce, human food, animal feed, and these rules are going to apply domestically as well as internationally. The produce rule establishes science-based minimum standards for growing, harvesting, packaging and holding of produce on farms. It introduces some good manufacturing type standards for worker training and health and hygiene. It also introduces new standards for agricultural water, soil and animal intrusion. The preventive controls for human food rule has some updated good manufacturing practices and the two components basically require a written food safety plan and a supply chain program.
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