FDA Rules for Produce Safety
Including fresh fruits and vegetables in your everyday diet is supposed to support health and wellbeing. However, when those fruits and vegetables are contaminated, the opposite is true. From salmonella and E. coli to listeria and cyclospora, there have been a number of significant foodborne illnesses linked to everything from cauliflower and cantaloupe to spinach, cilantro, and cucumbers over the past few years.
That’s why The Obama Administration championed a complete overhaul of the food safety system that was passed through Congress and signed into law back in 2011. Among other accomplishments, the appropriately-labelled Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 aims, for the first time, to prevent outbreaks of foodborne illnesses rather than simply react to them.
There Are New Rules for Produce Sold in the U.S.
For the past four years, the FDA and other associated agencies have worked to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act through changing its policies, guidelines, and practices as well as regulating what food producers must do before food gets into the hands of consumers. This past Friday, they made a major leap in that field by implementing a series of new rules for the growing, packing, and shipping of fresh produce to retailers in the United States.
Most domestic food suppliers already conform to these regulations, as they were previously supported as “best practices” by the FDA. However, now, regardless of the fruit or vegetable’s country of origin, importers and producers will be required to ensure the cleanliness of their products and be held responsible for such. Those importing produce must also allow outside auditors to monitor and test the facilities of their suppliers abroad. Previously, the FDA only took these measures following the report of an outbreak – in other words, only after people got sick.
Currently, these new rules only apply to larger scale operations. Small farms that average annual sales less than $25,000 or certain mid-sized operations that make less than $500,000 per year and sell primarily within a 275-mile radius are exempt, for example. In addition, certain products such as pumpkin and peanuts which are usually cooked and/or processed in some form prior to consumption, are also exempt.
It’s a Bigger Problem Than You Think
While, logically, ensuring the safety of our food system makes sense, when you consider the frightening regularity of foodborne illness in the U.S., these rules become even more important. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that, each year, more than 48 million Americans fall victim to preventable foodborne illness. In addition, of those 48 million, 128,000 are hospitalized because of it and several thousands die.
In order to prevent future outbreaks, this legislation not only tackles the safety of the food itself and regulates the testing of it, but also mandates that food manufacturers develop plans specific to their operation that are designed to identify and prevent outbreaks internally. Farmers must routinely test their water supply, for example. In addition, food importers must now verify and maintain a system of producers who process food to the standards of the U.S. FDA, regardless of their location.
As these new rules take effect, their ability to work will depend largely on continued funding from Congress, which has provided about half of the needed dollars to date. For now, this news is encouraging to anyone looking to increase their fruit and veggie intake for a healthier life without risk of contamination.
For more information and to read the full list of new regulations, please visit the FDA’s website.