FDA Consumer magazine (September-October 1998)
A Year of Food Safety Accomplishments
From the farm to the table, the government's National Food Safety Initiative, is covering ground. In the past year, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have proposed or implemented regulations, issued a draft guidance, and launched a public health campaign--all geared toward the government's goal of reducing food-borne illness and improving the safety of the U.S. food supply.
Other federal agencies helping to carry out the initiative are the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency.
HACCP for Seafood
In December 1997, an FDA program based on a modern food safety system called Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, or HACCP (pronounced hassip), took effect in the seafood industry. HACCP, a science-based, preventive approach to food safety, requires seafood processors, repackers and warehouses--both domestic and foreign exporters to this country--to focus on identifying and preventing hazards that could cause food-borne illnesses. Before seafood HACCP, industry and regulators relied on spot-checks of manufacturing processes and random sampling of finished products to catch any problems.
HACCP for Meat and Poultry
USDA regulations requiring HACCP for the country's largest meat and poultry plants took effect in January. Depending on their size, other plants will be required to implement HACCP programs by either January 1999 or January 2000.
Fruits and Vegetables
In April, FDA released for public comment draft guidelines aimed at reducing microbial food safety hazards for most fruits and vegetables sold raw or minimally processed. The guidelines address good agricultural practices common to the growing, harvesting, packing, and transporting of fresh fruits and vegetables. Once the guidelines are final, FDA will encourage producers and distributors to follow them voluntarily.
Also in April, FDA proposed to improve the safety of fresh and processed fruit and vegetable juices by requiring processors of
packaged fruit and vegetable juices, both domestic and imported, to implement HACCP in their operations. At press time, FDA was in the process of seeking comments on this proposal.
In July, the agency issued a final rule requiring packaged untreated juices to be labeled with a warning statement advising consumers of the potential risks of drinking juices that have not been processed to eliminate dangerous bacteria. The statement will say, "WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and, therefore, may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems." (See "Critical Controls for Juice Safety.")
Restaurant Foods and Groceries
Also in April, FDA called for retail food businesses to volunteer to test the feasibility of HACCP in restaurants, grocery stores, institutional food services, and vending operations. FDA said the results of the pilot project will enable the agency to "fine-tune" its model Food Code, a reference for retail outlets on how to prepare food to prevent food-borne illness.
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