The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is extending the comment period by 15 days to allow stakeholders more time to provide input on the New Era of Smarter Food Safety. The comment period was set to close on November 20, 2019, 30 days after the October 21 public meeting on this new approach that FDA is planning to take to strengthen its protection of the food supply.

The comment period will now close on December 5, 2019 in response to requests for additional time to submit comments.

Comments can be submitted electronically to the Federal Register (Docket Number: FDA-2019-N-4187) or in writing to: Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

The input received at the public meeting, and in comments submitted to the accompanying Federal Register docket, will help shape an FDA Blueprint for a New Era of Smarter Food Safety. We intend for the blueprint to outline how this new approach will address public health challenges, including being able to trace sources of contaminated foods and using new predictive analytics tools like artificial intelligence to assess risks and prioritize the agency’s work and resources.

FDA is working toward enhancing its ongoing efforts to implement the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) by creating a more digital, traceable, and safer system to help protect consumers from contaminated food.

To learn more about the New Era, read an interview with Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, in which he explains what this means for the future of FDA’s food safety mission. And visit the New Era of Smarter Food Safety page on fda.gov for related communications and resources.

For more information:

Food for Thought: Ideas on How to Begin a New Era of Smarter Food Safety