Fall 2013 White House Regulatory Plan Includes Many Food Safety Rules

By Lydia Zuraw | December 5, 2013
 
The White House put out its “Current Regulatory Plan and the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions” for Fall 2013 on Nov. 26, and it lists a number of food safety issues that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will be dealing with over the next several months.




Here are some of the key rules to keep an eye on:
The Modernization of Poultry Slaughter Inspection final rule is expected in April. The new inspection system for young poultry slaughter establishments speeds up processing lines and replaces many USDA inspectors in plants with company employees.

The final rule for labeling mechanically tenderized beef products is expected in June. In addition to requiring the descriptive designation, the rule would require that labels of raw and partially cooked needle- or blade-tenderized beef products destined for household consumers, hotels, restaurants, or similar institutions include validated cooking instructions stating that these products need to be cooked to a specified minimum internal temperature and whether they need to be held at that minimum internal temperature for a specified time before consumption.

A proposed rule expected from FDA in April will codify requirements that the sponsor of each antimicrobial new animal drug product submit an annual report on the amount of each antimicrobial active ingredient in the drug product that is sold or distributed for use in food-producing animals, as well as possible drug distribution data collection.

Another rule on updated standards for labeling of pet food is expected in June and will include nutritional and ingredient information, as well as style and formatting standards.

Final rules are also expected out of FDA on adding nutrition labeling to restaurant menus (expected in February) and on a list of pathogens with the potential to pose a serious threat to public health (expected in June). The proposed list includes Acinetobacter species, Staphylococcus aureus, Campylobacter species, Clostridium difficile and Vibrio cholera.