FDA’s proposed food processors rule troubles some, confuses many
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) new proposed rule for food-processing facilities is creating a stir. The HARPC, an acronym that stands for Hazard Analysis and Risk-based Preventive Controls, was mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law in 2011. HARPC embraces a strategy that focuses on preventing foodborne illness and other risks that make food unsafe to eat. As such, it would apply to certain unintentional hazards such as microbiological, chemical, physical and radiological hazards, as well as to allergens.
Estimates from the FDA state that 951,000 million cases of foodborne illnesses can be attributed each year to the pathogens that this rule is designed to eliminate or reduce. The economic cost of illnesses avoided comes to $2 billion a year, according to the FDA. The agency regulates approximately 80% of the U.S. food supply—$602 billion in domestic food and $64 billion in imported food each year. That accounts for nearly everything consumers in the U.S. eat except for meat, poultry and some egg products, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).