The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently unveiled the New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint. The initiative will be used as a basis for shaping food safety measures moving forward. The plan emphasizes priorities such as enhancing traceability and improving technological means of addressing food safety issues as being crucial in meeting the overall goal of improving food safety measures throughout the supply chain.
“The blueprint we release today represents the next stage in this process — a commitment we are making to the American people that we will work as fast and effectively as we can, as fast and effectively as we can, to help ensure that we have the safest food system in the world,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a press announcement. “I am very excited about the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, the potential it offers, and I look forward to helping advance it to the next stages.”
The New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint was initially supposed to be released back in March, however, issues related to COVID-19 became the focal point for FDA. The four core elements of the initiative include tech-enabled traceability, smarter tools for preventing and responding to outbreaks, implementing new business models and retail food modernization, and updating food safety culture. The fundamental goal of the blueprint is to reduce the number of illnesses related to foodborne pathogens.
While the blueprint features a significant amount of technological improvements that will be implemented as the plan is put into action, the blueprint is also based on the work already accomplished through initiatives such as the Food Safety Modernization Act. “I want to note that while the New Era has a strong emphasis in the application of new technology, it’s not just about technology. It’s about using that technology to build and put in place more effective approaches and processes,” Hahn noted.
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