Sunday, January 06, 2013

FDA and rule making. "A farm or plant where vegetables are packaged might, for example, add lavatories to ensure that workers do not urinate in fields and post signs similar to those in restaurants that remind employees to wash their hands. [...] The agency estimated that it would cost large individual farms as much as $30,000 a year to comply with the new rules, and the food manufacturing industry as a whole as much as $475 million a year. [...] Vegetables that are much more likely to be consumed cooked, like potatoes and artichokes, would be exempt from the rules, Mr. Taylor said. 'We were directed by Congress to establish risk-based standards that are practical, and we think this approach targets what will be significant from a public health standpoint,' he said. 'If we get evidence to the contrary, we will make adjustments.' [...] After a 120-day period for public comment, the agency will complete the rules."

The headline is not something I made up out of whimsy. NY Times, this link. The ellipsis indicators show I did "cherry pick" parts of the reporting. But before you eat any of those picked cherries, ...

UPDATE: Time, "After Year-Long Delay, FDA Proposes Major Regulations For Food Safety" - By Alexandra Sifferlin, Jan. 07, 2013.