Snack World - August 2012 - (Page 20)

Government Affairs Left in Limbo Snack manufacturers continue to wait for new food safety rules, as other legislative matters capture SFA’s attention. BY BOB GATTY s Congress nears the end of its session and election campaigns move into high gear, the Snack Food Association (SFA) is working on a hefty menu of legislative and regulatory issues important to its members. Companies in the food business, including snack food manufacturers, are becoming frustrated with the Obama administration’s continual delays in publishing final regulations to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that was signed into law more than a year and a half ago. SFA President Jim McCarthy pointed out that SFA worked diligently with Congress and the administration for nearly three years to help develop this new law, which is designed to help prevent food contamination before it occurs. 20 Snack World August 2012 www.sfa.org A “The problem is that FSMA hasn’t gotten out of the starting gate,” said Mr. McCarthy, explaining that regulations needed to put the law into effect have been awaiting approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for many months. “Meanwhile, companies are in limbo as they seek to prepare to comply but do not have the specifics as to exactly how to do so.” The final statute offered a principled and realistic approach to setting new food safety standards and provided the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with appropriate recall powers and effective tools to police imports. FSMA creates a risk-based system to conduct food safety inspections, Mr. McCarthy said. The law also recognizes the important role food companies play in food safety matters by including a provision requiring companies to develop food safety plans and to document controls put in place. Those food safety plans are at the heart of the new law, which is designed to prevent contamination before it happens rather than responding after the fact. But among the rules awaiting approval by OMB are the specific requirements for establishing those plans. Mr. McCarthy noted that over the past five years, FDA has been one of the few agencies to receive discretionary funding increases through the annual appropriations process in Congress, and in fiscal year (FY) 2012, the agency received some $40 million to support FSMA implementation. http://www.sfa.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snack World - August 2012

Snack World - August 2012
Table of Contents
Letter from SFA - Please Be Involved
Supplier's Corner - Opportunities Abound
SFA Update - Drought prompts petition for renewable fuels waiver
SFA Update - Potato research yields two promising varieties
SFA Update - Coalition challenges Hours of Service rule in court
Calendar of Events
75th Anniversary - Advocating for Snacks
Snacks for the New Millennium
75th Anniversary - Mega Merger
75th Anniversary - Turbulent Times
Saying farewell to Four Industry Icons
Government Affairs - Left in Limbo
Marketing - The Snack School
New Snacks
Products & Services
Ad Index

Snack World - August 2012