Intentional Food Adulteration Rule Proposed

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a rule that will
implement those provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act addressing
“hazards that may be intentionally introduced by acts of terrorism.” Under
the rule, domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or
hold food would be required to register and implement certain measures
to protect against the intentional adulteration of food. These facilities, with
certain exemptions, would be required, among other things, to “prepare and
implement a written food defense plan that includes actionable process
steps, focused mitigation strategies, and procedures for monitoring, corrective
actions, and verification.” The proposal is expected to be published in the
December 24, 2013, issue of the Federal Register, and will have a 30-day public
comment period. See FDA News Release, December 20, 2013.

Issue 508