The FDA has announced revisions to four areas of its proposed rules for implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. For the rule on produce safety, the proposed revision includes water-quality–testing requirements for produce safety, including an updated microbial-quality standard, greater flexibility for compliance with the microbial standard, and a more targeted approach to testing sources of untreated water. The revision also updates manure-usage requirements and the definition of a “farm.” Addressing the rule on preventive controls for animal food, the proposed revision includes increased flexibility for CGMPs and potential requirements for product testing and environmental monitoring by a facility. For the rule on preventive controls for human food, the proposed revision also asks for comments on requirements for product testing and environmental monitoring by a facility. It also proposes providing more flexibility in the verification of raw material or ingredient hazards. Language addressing economically motivated adulteration is also proposed. For the rule on foreign supplier–verification programs, the proposed revisions address hazard analysis as well as supplier verification. The proposals are open for comment for 75 days and will be finalized in 2015.

Source: FDA