The Food and Drug Administration continues to expand its efforts to make sure that food is safe both at home and abroad.
To that end, the organization has announced June 19 as the date of a Washington D.C. meeting called International Capacity Building with Respect to Food Safety. Persons involved in the daylong meeting will be able to offer their comments and opinions on how this portion of the Food Safety Modernization Act. The FDA is hoping that the forum can be used to get ideas on how to improve regulatory, scientific, and technical policy so as to make products safer in those countries that export food to the United States.
Right now, the plan calls for six different elements that must all be addressed in some capacity, hence the need for the meeting. First, it must be decided what sorts of agreements and stipulations must be made between nations to ensure that food safety standards are met. Then, there must be a way for countries to safely share computer data. Inspection reports must be recognized on both sides, and government officials and food producers must be trained on food production and handling procedures.
In addition, countries will have to accept cross-border testing techniques so as to ensure what passes muster in one country would do so in another. Requirements will also need to be standard under what is known as the Codex Alimentarius.