 Full coverage of the Food Safety Modernization Act |
In February and March the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hosted three public hearings, on the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) draft rules released earlier this year.
On Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1, the agency provided an opportunity for members of the public to comment on the proposed rules in a forum in Washington, D.C. An additional meeting was held in Chicago on March 11-12 and the final hearing took place in Portland on March 27-28.
Once finalized, the proposals will establish produce safety standards to minimize contamination of fresh fruits and vegetables and develop prevention-based requirements for processed foods such as cookie dough and peanut butter.
At the D.C. hearing, Pew spotlighted the fact that the White House has yet to release regulations that would establish a new oversight system that will hold importers responsible for the safety of food they bring into the United States and requirements for third-party auditors who, in certain instances, would be relied on to help ensure the safety of imported food. Another draft rule awaiting release would set safety standards for pet foods.
The first overhaul to America’s food safety system since the Great Depression, FSMA gives FDA clear authority to prevent – not just react to – foodborne outbreaks. However, implementing regulations must first be finalized.
While the hearings represent a step forward, without full and timely implementation, the promise of FSMA will not become a reality, and Americans will continue to get sick from preventable foodborne illnesses.
Victim Testimony
Biographies and testimonies of some of the food safety victims speaking in Portland on March 27 and 28.
 | Samantha Bernstein |  | Rylee Gustafson | ||
| Jeff Almer |  | Jennifer Exley |
Victim Testimony
Biographies and testimonies of some of the food safety victims speaking in Chicago on March 11 and 12.
 | Nancy Donley |  | Margo Moskowitz |
  | Ken and Polly Costello |  | Gabrielle Meunier |
Related: Estimate: 1 in 6 Americans Will Get Food Poisoning This Year
Expert Testimony
 | Sandra Eskin, project director of the food safety campaign at The Pew Charitable Trusts |
Victim Testimony
Read the testimony from some of the foodborne illness victims who spoke in Washington, D.C.:
 | Elizabeth Armstrong |  | Lauren Bush |  | Randy Napier (son of Nellie Napier) | |||
 | Larry and Rita Bernstein |  | Dana Dziadul |  | Paul Schwarz |
In January 2011, President Barack Obama signed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law, signaling the first major update to our nation’s food safety oversight framework since the Great Depression. Despite widespread support for the legislation and its implementation, the Obama administration still has not issued all of the proposed rules under FSMA.
More infoThe Pew Charitable Trusts applauds Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) for her efforts to strengthen food safety protections under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, and provide grant funding to help school cafeterias across the nation upgrade their equipment to serve healthy, appealing meals to millions of school children. Funding for both programs was included in a larger bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday.
More info"Being a Minnesotan, Jeff Almer searched for a polite term to describe how he feels about a congressional push to roll back the new food safety laws his family fought for when his elderly mother died after eating salmonella-laced peanut butter in late 2008."
More infoThe Pew Charitable Trusts commends Representative Tom Latham (R-IA) for his leadership in securing approximately $27 million for food safety in the House appropriations bill funding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. The new money would help the FDA protect millions of Americans from the dangers of foodborne illnesses and strengthen consumer confidence in the food supply.
More infoAs a pediatrician, my No. 1 concern is to keep children safe and healthy. Inside the walls of my office, I can provide services and counseling to help do just that, whether by giving an infant her first childhood vaccine, providing a mental health screening to an adolescent patient or counseling parents about how to keep their homes as safe as possible. Unfortunately, there are some threats to children's health that are beyond my control, including the food they consume.
More infoCDC Data Show Alarmingly High Rate of Listeria Infections for Expectant MomsFrom 2004 2009, 29 percent of cases during pregnancy ended in miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death Data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Foodborne
More infoDuring a 15-year span beginning in the mid-1990s, infections in the United States from the pathogen vibrio have increased threefold, according to data published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.
More info"The Food and Drug Administration will not reduce food inspections because of budget cuts, despite warning earlier that it could be forced to eliminate thousands of inspections by Sept. 30."
More info"Twenty-two weeks. That’s how long it took federal health officials to determine the contaminated food source after the first person was infected in a 2011 outbreak of salmonella that swept across 34 states, sickened 136 people and led to one of the largest national recalls of ground turkey."
More infoA multistate outbreak of Salmonella Heidelberg infections linked to ground turkey in 2011 sickened 136 people, causing 37 hospitalizations and one death. The Pew Charitable Trusts' analysis of the outbreak found numerous inadequacies in the foodborne illness surveillance system that, if addressed, could help to prevent illnesses and, in some cases, deaths.
More infoAn examination of a Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak linked to ground turkey illustrates that health authorities must be more aggressive in their efforts to detect and respond to foodborne illnesses, according to a new report by The Pew Charitable Trusts, titled “Too Slow: An Analysis of the 2011 Salmonella Ground Turkey Outbreak and Recommendations for Improving Detection and Response.” In all, the contaminated food sickened a reported 136 people in the United States, hospitalized 37 and killed one, according to government data.
More info"Six years ago, Bend resident Chrissy Christoferson's ten-month-old son suffered a ten-day struggle with what first appeared to be a touch of the flu."
More info"Portlander Joe Day tearfully recalled the year his family spent Thanksgiving in a hospital cafeteria, as his sister, suffering from e coli, fought for her life several floors above."
More infoMy name is Jennifer Exley, and I reside in Centennial, Colorado. I am the daughter of Herbert Stevens, who was deeply impacted by listeria-contaminated cantaloupe in August 2011. As you well know, 147 people were sickened and 33 people died in that outbreak — the deadliest in 25 years. My father was one of the so-called lucky survivors. His health and quality of life was, and remains, seriously affected because of something he ate.
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