The latest final rule from the FDA requires certain registered food facilities to incorporate new risk-reducing strategies into their processes.
These strategies are aimed, not at particular foods or hazards, but at reducing the risk of “intentional adulteration from acts intended to cause wide-scale harm to public health, including acts of terrorism targeting the food supply.”
The goal of the rule is to prevent, specifically, wide-scale harm, rather than adulteration that is economically motivated or carried out by disgruntled employees. It covers primarily large companies and exempts many small companies, as well as all farms.
The rule advances and safeguards the preventative approach of HACCP, the industry standard for identifying, evaluating, and controlling food safety hazards.
The FDA makes no distinction between “broad” and “focused” mitigation strategies. Strategies consist of three major components: Monitoring, corrective actions, and verification.
Final Rule Contents may be found in Docket Folder FDA-2013-N-1425, beginning May 27, 2016.
Source: Food and Drug Administration. FSMA Final Rule for Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration
