On October 9, 2003, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced the issuance
of two Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations that will bolster
the safety and security of America's food supply. The new regulations
will enable better targeted efforts to monitor and inspect imported foods
and will allow quick identification and notification of food processors
and other establishments involved in any deliberate or accidental
contamination of food. These two new regulations will implement key
provisions of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and
Response Act of 2002, which provided FDA with new authority to protect the
nation's food supply against actual or threatened terrorism acts and other
food-related emergencies. On October 28, 2003, FDA will hold a public
meeting (via satellite downlink) to discuss these two final regulations. A
list of open viewing sites for the satellite downlink is on the web at:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ohip/dcm/html/cfsan_open_sites.html
International rebroadcast information is on the web at:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ohip/dcm/html/cfsan_event_page.html
Copies of the Federal Register notices, fact sheets and related
information about the final regulations on the Registration of Food
Facilities and Prior Notice of Imported Food Shipments are available at:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/bioterrorism/furls/
The following site will be open on October 16, 2003 at 6:00 pm EDT for
facility registration: http://www.fda.gov/furls
The owner, operator, or agent in charge of a domestic or foreign facility
that manufactures/processes, packs, or holds food for human or animal
consumption in the U.S., or an individual authorized by one of them, must
REGISTER that facility with FDA by DECEMBER 12, 2003. A domestic facility
must register whether or not food from the facility enters interstate
commerce. A foreign facility must designate a U.S. agent (for example a
facility's importer or broker), who must live or maintain a place of
business in the U.S. and be physically present in the U.S., for purposes
of registration. (See http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fsbtac12.html for
further details.)
Beginning on DECEMBER 12, 2003, PRIOR NOTICE must be received and
confirmed electronically by FDA no more than 5 days before arrival and, as
specified by the mode of transportation below, no fewer than:
2 hours before arrival by land by road
4 hours before arrival by air or by land by rail
8 hours before arrival by water
The time consistent with the timeframe established for the mode of
transportation for an article of food carried by or otherwise accompanying
an individual if it is subject to prior notice (The food must also be
accompanied by the FDA confirmation.)
In addition, prior notice must be received and confirmed electronically by
FDA before food is mailed by international mail. (The parcel must be
accompanied by confirmation of FDA receipt of prior notice.) (See
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fsbtac13.html for further details.)
Further information regarding the regulations is on the web at:
http://www.fda.gov/oc/bioterrorism/bioact.html
--------------------------------------------------------------
This is the Seafood HACCP Discussion Group. Information is
available on the web at:
http://seafood.ucdavis.edu/listserv/Listserv.htm
For inquiries on subscribing to the list, e-mail: pdtom@ucdavis.edu
To subscribe, e-mail listproc@ucdavis.edu with the message:
subscribe seafood [your first name] [your last name]
To unsubscribe, e-mmail listproc@ucdavis.edu with the message:
unsubscribe seafood
Files from the seafood HACCP listserv are now archived at:
http://listproc.ucdavis.edu/archives/seafood/
--------------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Oct 10 2003 - 01:27:49 PDT