New FDA Food Safety Rules Will Take Effect In July

The first rules issued by the U.S. FDA under the recently enacted Food Safety Modernization Act will take effect on July 3, 2011, the agency announced. One rule bolsters the FDA’s ability to prevent potentially unsafe food from entering commerce, while the second requires anyone importing food into the U.S. to inform the FDA if any country has refused entry to the same product, including food for animals. Prior to the new law, the FDA’s ability to detain food products applied only when the agency had credible evidence of contamination or mislabeling. The new information reporting requirement in the second rule improves the FDA’s ability to target foods that may pose a significant risk to public health.