FDA Issues Two Rules to Bolster Safety of Imported Food
(World Trade Interactive)
The Food and Drug Administration has recently issued two regulations pursuant to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act that are intended to increase the safety of human and animal food imported into the U.S. One rule will increase the likelihood of administrative detentions of potentially adulterated or misbranded food, while the other will require importers to report the name of any country that has previously denied entry to an article of food.
New Criteria for Administrative Detention
Effective July 3, FDA is changing the criteria for ordering administrative detention of human or animal food. Under the new criteria, which were specified in the FSMA, FDA will be able to order administrative detention of any article of food that is found during an inspection, examination or investigation if it has reason to believe that the article of food is adulterated or misbranded. Currently, under the Bioterrorism Act of 2002, FDA can only order administrative detention if it finds during an inspection, examination or investigation credible evidence or information indicating that the article of food presents a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals. Read more here.
Date: May 5, 2011
