FSMA renews commitment to protect nation's food supply


On January 4, 2011, President Barack Obama signed the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).  This legislative act was designed to better protect the nation’s food supply.  FSMA gives the FDA improved enforcement capabilities in preventing foodborne diseases.  One of the goals of the FSMA is to build a revised system for food safety.  It will create a food tracking system to identify the source of foodborne outbreaks.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 48 million Americans become ill, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases. 

Another component of the FSMA is that it will provide the FDA with greater oversight of food products entering the United States.  About 15% of the U.S. food supply is imported; including 50% of fresh fruits, 20% of fresh vegetables, and 80% of seafood. The FSMA is considered to be the most significant revision in U.S. government oversight of the nation’s food supply since the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938.

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