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Comment Period on Produce Standards Ends Next Week

By Dan Flynn and Suzanna Schreck

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) comment period for produce safety standards comes to a close next week.

The FDA established a docket in February to receive information from growers and other stakeholders on improving food safety in the produce industry. The original deadline for comment was May 24 but was extended to next Friday, July 23.

When the docket was announced, the agency said it expects the final rules will "take into account the diverse nature of farming operations."

"The success of our produce safety efforts depends on the feedback and comments we receive from growers and other produce safety stakeholders," said FDA spokesman Sebastian Cianci in a note to reporters yesterday.

The creation of on-farm produce safety standards is a joint effort with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).    

"We are committed to leveraging the expertise of our partner agencies and working together to ensure that our current produce safety and quality activities are complementary and consistent," the agencies said in a joint statement in February.

For more information, or to submit a comment, see the Federal Register Notice, the FDA Produce Safety Activities page, and instructions on submitting comment.

Full post as published by Food Safety News on July 16, 2010 (boomark / email).