GROW FDA official explains portions of proposed Produce Safety and Preventative Controls for Human Food regulations

  • by Jennifer Kneuss
  • March 14, 2013
  • 413
                        
Summary: Area produce growers will be affected by proposed new FDA regulations. An FDA scientist and spokesman, James Gorny, spoke to the Bargain Hunter about the potential effects. 'Recently, the Bargain Hunter interviewed James Gorny, Ph.D. Senior Advisor for Produce Safety, Center for food safety and applied nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, about the new proposed food safety regulations; specifically, to explain ways they will impact local farmers. Here is what Mr. Gorny had to say.' “In January 2011, President Obama signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act. There was lots of support from consumer groups and others…for this,” said James Gorny, Ph.D, Senior Advisor for Produce Safety at the FDA. The reform was the most sweeping of its kind in the past 70 years, and shifted the focus from responding to foodborne illness outbreaks to their prevention. Gorny explained that the FDA was putting forth two proposed sets of regulations, one aimed at manufacturers, and the other for small produce growers. (The FDA defines the rules as applying to small growers with gross sales of $25,000 to $500,000 a year) “We collaborated with the Produce Safety Alliance consortium, with collaborators from 20+ states,” he explained of the FDA’s compilation of the proposed produce regulations. “This focused on small and very small growers.” “Why are we doing this? We have been tasked by Congress and the American people improve our food supply. According to the Center for Disease Control estimates, each year 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die due to food borne illness in the United States,” stated Gorny. The FDA proposed Produce Safety and Preventative Controls for Human Food regulations are for producers and the practices they follow. Two areas that may be of particular concern for area farmers involve the areas of controlling access and contamination by domestic and wild animals in growing areas and, for the Amish, who use work horses extensively, how to balance their cultural farming practices with the new regulations. “We are asking the grower to take the responsibility of their crop,” said the FDA official. “Think of it in terms of liability – they will always be held responsible for their crop. Requirements for working animals show the measures…that need to be taken to prevent the fecal/oral route of contamination. We acknowledge that work horses have been part of agriculture since the dawn of time. The Plain community has developed…guidelines,” he explained, noting the work of Raymond Yoder of Fredericksburg, who met with FDA officials in Chicago recently to work through concerns the Amish may have with the new regulations. “Horses should not be in growing rows within 7 days of harvest, and there should be harvest driveways between the rows. Work animals aren’t actually in the fields, and when they are…there are feces collecting bags for work animals. They need to take reasonable precautions. It’s common sense, and hard to believe we have to write a regulation for that. (There are) provisions in regard to handling animals – basically, wash your hands after handling animals.” As to wild animals contaminating produce gardens, Gorny had this to say: “We certainly understand and acknowledge that food is not grown in a bubble environment. We also know that these animals can carry diseases, and also understand…we are out to prevent these diseases.” “We are asking farmers that if there is evidence of significant animal intrusion, excrement, they must evaluate the crop. Don’t harvest crop that has animal excrement on it – evaluate,” Gorny said, noting the need to destroy contaminated crops. “Inspection is a very important part of compliance strategy. Potentially there could be FDA inspectors coming out to look at farms – they may be working with state agriculture and health departments.” “Farmers are very innovative folks if you give them the time,” stated Gorny. “They don’t want to lose their crops to animals, either.” The proposed rule has a first-year cost to industry of $701 million and an annualized cost of $472 million using a 7 percent discount rate, according to Office of Management and Budget guidelines. The comment period on the proposed regulations is open through May 16, 2013, but implementation of the regulations will take place from 2014 on, with smaller farms having the longest time to comply. More information: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FSMA/ucm334115.htm -


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