US: FDA, FSIS look to boost traceability

6 November 2009 | Source: just-food.com

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the US Department of Agriculture have organised a joint public meeting focused on improving the system for tracing of food products and ingredients that are causing illness outbreaks.

The agencies said that they were seeking public comment to help identify elements of effective food product tracing systems, identify current gaps in food product tracing, and suggest specific mechanisms for improvements.

The meeting is also intended to improve the ability of FDA and FSIS to use the information in such systems to respond to outbreaks more quickly by rapidly identifying the source of contamination during outbreaks. 

"This public meeting provides an opportunity for FDA to collaborate more closely with FSIS as well as with members of the food industry, many of whom have been making important innovations in food safety practices and technology, and all of whom bear primary responsibility for producing and marketing safe food," said Michael Taylor, senior advisor to FDA's Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.