The Food and Drug Administration proposed two new safety rules on Jan. 4, which intends to insure that farms and food processors are more accountable for lessening foodborne illnesses that sicken or kill thousands of Americans a year. The rules actually were signed into law two years ago and will now be put in force. This event has been needed for quite awhile and it makes it one step closer to enforcing the safety law.
"These proposed regulations are a sign of progress," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, food safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, who has been a critic of the FDA. "The new law should transform the FDA from an agency that tracks down outbreaks after the fact to an agency focused on preventing food contamination in the first place."
Some of the new requirements include better records being kept and emergency plans on how to handle outbreaks and procedures that would avert the spread of contaminants to begin with. Most food producer would have leeway in deciding how to put the new rules in force. Whereas farmers will need to be sure that the water they use for irrigation meets certain standards. Food processors will have to find a way to keep fresh food that may have bacteria away from cooked food.
It is estimated that one in six Americans get a medical condition from foodborne illnesses every year and about 3,000 die according to the FDA. Every year, the United States receives reports of numerous medical conditions contracted from foodborne illnesses that are connected to E. coli, salmonella and listeria.
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