FDA Announces Program To Enhance State Food Safety Programs
News Date August 10, 2007
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 31 announced a national program to bring about the adoption of more uniform and equivalent regulatory programs by state agencies. The multi-year, voluntary initiative is designed to establish a uniform basis for measuring and improving the performance of state programs in manufactured foods, and to help reduce foodborne illness hazards.
The Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Standards were developed over the past five years in a cooperative effort by state and federal partners. The standards define best practices for "critical" elements such as inspection, staff training, quality assurance, food defense, enforcement, laboratory resources, and others. Each standard has a corresponding self-assessment worksheet. The standards will be pilot-tested in New York, Oregon, and Missouri before September 30, 2007. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)