At a Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee hearing today, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Hamburg said that the comment period on the two proposed food safety regulations currently open for comment would be extended by 120 days.  The comment period was originally set to close on May 16, and with the extension, the comment period is now scheduled to close in mid-September.

This is welcome news for farmers and consumers throughout the food system who are in the process of analyzing and preparing comments on the 1,700+ pages of proposed regulations.

The two proposed rules are part of the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act.  They set standards for produce safety and standards for facilities that process food for human consumption.

For more information about the new proposed food safety regulations, visit NSAC’s FSMA Action Center.  There is information about what the proposed rules are, how to get involved in the comment process, and information about who is affected.  You can also sign up to receive regular updates about food safety and the proposed rules.