Food Safety Modernization Act: The Case for Complementary Public Regulation and Private Standards

Abstract

<p>President Obama signed into law the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) <em>Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010</em> (FSMA) in January 2011. FSMA is a set of regulations that modifies U.S. food safety laws and extends their scope. FSMA is considered to be the first major reform of U.S. food safety laws since 1938. FSMA specifically targets products that are under the jurisdiction of FDA and thus impacts products such as produce, dairy, seafood, fresh eggs and eggs used as ingredients. The stated objective of FSMA is to shift the focus from response to food contamination to prevention.</p>