FDA PROPOSES REVISED FOOD SAFETY RULES IN RESPONSE TO BIPARTISAN REQUEST FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE LAWMAKERS

New Hampshire’s Congressional delegation welcomed an announcement today from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revising four proposed Food Safety Modernization rules and initiating a 75-day public comment period on the new proposals. The FDA agreed to issue a second draft of these rules for public comment in response to a bipartisan letter led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-2) and signed by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter (NH-1) and more than 70 other bipartisan members of Congress to the FDA calling for changes to the proposed rules and an additional comment period.

“New Hampshire’s farmers and agricultural producers are vital contributors to our state’s economy, and they should not be burdened with unnecessary and harmful regulations,” the New Hampshire delegation said. “We appreciate that the FDA is taking the concerns of farmers, agriculture experts, and other stakeholders seriously, and we will continue to work collaboratively to strive for flexible and pragmatic regulations that ensure food safety without hurting small farmers and local agriculture.”   

These updated rules are intended to reflect concerns the agency received from farmers, consumers and other stakeholders. The delegation encourages interested parties to read the full revised proposed regulations and provide comments to the agency. The regulations and instructions for how to leave a comment can be found here.

The FDA will accept comments on the changes to the four proposed rules for 75 days.