Dive Brief:
- Manufacturers working toward FSMA compliance often have to face several "known unknowns" as they tweak or overhaul their operations to meet the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's new, more stringent food safety requirements, Food Safety News reported.
- The most critical unknown could be next month's election of a new president and members of Congress, and the new administration's choice for leadership of the FDA.
- Other "known unknowns" include how manufacturers will respond to the FDA's postponement of compliance dates for certain FSMA rules and how sizable of an investment manufacturers will have to make to reach FSMA compliance.
Dive Insight:
New federal government leadership could have an immense impact on FSMA going forward. Last month, presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign issued a fact sheet that suggested eliminating food safety regulations — including the "food police" at the FDA — because they are "overkill" and burden farmers. The campaign later took down the fact sheet and reposted it without the food safety-related sentiments.
But the candidate's message was heard, and it's since started a flurry of speculation as to the future of the FDA, FSMA and how manufacturers will have to go about achieving compliance. It could be a serious blow to manufacturers' pocketbooks if the next president were to do away with the regulations that companies already invested their money to satisfy.
However, if these regulations—no matter how short lived they may be—make the domestic food supply safer, the FDA still may have achieved a major goal for the industry.