FDA Releases Food Protection Plan

News Date November 14, 2007

        The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a comprehensive Food Protection Plan on November 6 to further strengthen the safety of the U.S. food supply. The plan was released as part of the administration's Import Safety Action Plan (see separate NASDA News story) and was initiated by the agency last May in the wake of several food product recalls. 

       The Food Protection Plan outlines three basic goals: prevention, intervention, and response. First, the plan would focus on FDA efforts to prevent problems before they start. Second, the plan employs risk-based interventions to ensure preventive approaches are effective. Third, the plan provides for a rapid response when contaminated food or feed are detected, or when there is harm to humans or animals. The overall goal of the plan is to secure the safety of food in U.S. commerce from production through consumption.

       In addition to a broad risk-based approach to food protection, FDA's plan calls for increased corporate responsibility, and increased collaboration and communication with stakeholders. The Food Protection Plan also recommends additional regulatory authorities for the FDA that will require rule-making or approval by Congress. It recommends authorizations that would allow FDA to require preventive controls against intentional adulteration by terrorists or criminals at points of high vulnerability in the food chain, issue additional preventive controls for high-risk foods, accredit highly qualified third parties for voluntary food inspections, increase access to food records during emergencies, and to issue a mandatory recall if voluntary recalls are not effective.

Additional information and the Food Protection Plan is available on the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/oc/initiatives/advance/food.html. (Contact: Charlie Ingram)