The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, April 20, focusing on preventive controls for food facilities as part of the recently enacted FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. The meeting will be held at the FDA White Oak Campus in Silver Spring, Md., from 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Food facilities include those that manufacture, process, pack or hold human food or animal food and feed, including pet food. The Food Safety Modernization Act amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to establish the foundation for a modernized, prevention-based food safety system and gives FDA for the first time a legislative mandate to require comprehensive, science-based preventive controls across the food supply, according to the FDA. Specifically, the FDA is seeking information on preventive controls used by facilities to identify and address hazards associated with specific types of food and specific processes. The meeting is meant to give the public an opportunity to provide information and share views that will inform the development of guidance and regulations on preventive controls for such food facilities, according to the FDA. The meeting, “FDA Food Safety Modernization Act: Focus on Preventive Controls for Facilities,” will include introductory presentations by the FDA. The FDA noted, however, that listening to its stakeholders is the primary purpose of the meeting. The FDA will provide “multiple opportunities for individuals to actively express their views by making presentations at the meeting, participating in a total of three 75-minute break-out sessions on the provisions discussed at the meeting and submitting written comments to the docket within 30 days after the meeting.” The FDA is encouraging persons and groups who have similar interests to consolidate their information for presentation through a single representative. Requests to make an oral presentation must be made by Friday, April 15. Click here. Advance registration must also be made by Friday, April 15. Registration to attend the meeting will be accepted onsite on the day of the meeting, as space permits. For stakeholders who are not onsite, a webcast will be available. Electronic comments for Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0251 are due Friday, May 20. Click here to make comments. <Home>
