Food Safety Law Builds on Industry Best Practices

Like others in the food safety community I’m excited by yesterday’s signing of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act into law. This law represents the most sweeping overhaul of food safety legislation since 1938. Congress should be commended for doing the right thing for the American people. This legislation will build off leading practices used by regulators and the private sector, including a greater focus in areas of risk through an analysis of safety hazards, ingredient safety, food defense plans, traceability and recall procedures, and increased import safety.

It is important to remember that we will not see an immediate impact of the law at our tables. This new law sets an important public health foundation for a future of increasing food protection, but it’s the actions that follow the legislation that will deem all the work, frankly all the struggle, a success or not.

Read the full article by David Acheson, QA Advisory Board member and Managing Director, Food and Import Safety Practice, at Leavitt Partners.