Federal court orders the FDA to issue new food tracing and safety rules by June 2015

The agency can accept comments until March 31, 2014 and has until June 30, 2015 to finalize the rules.

Tracking and tracing food products procedures are still in the study or comment phase, as well as other regulations such as hazard analysis and prevention plans. Regulations related to the foreign supplier verification program and third-party auditors’ accreditation have yet to be addressed. Only a few provisions of the FSMA are actually in place at the end of June 2013.

A federal judge in California ordered the FDA on June 26 to finalize and publish food safety regulations mandated by the FSMA by June 30, 2015, after a suit brought by the Center for Food Safety and the Center for Environmental Health challenging the FDA’s failure to implement a regulatory scheme for the FSMA in accordance with certain timelines included in the Act. The judge wanted a definitive schedule that could result in an injunction if deadlines were not met.

The court ordered the FDA to propose various regulations by November 30, 2013 finally. The agency can accept comments until March 31, 2014 and has until June 30, 2015 to finalize the rules.