U.S. Food Safety Policy Enters a New Era - In late 2010,
Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the
most comprehensive reforms to Federal food safety laws since
1938. - The farm-to-fork, preventive approach embodied in the
Act reflects an established scientific/ managerial consensus on
how to improve food safety systems. - Economic research on
similar food safety initiatives by industry and government can
help guide implementation of the FSMA. A series of highly
visible foodborne illness outbreaks in recent years helped
create the political momentum to pass the most extensive reform
of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) food safety
authority since 1938. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA),
signed into law in January 2011, reflects a systematic approach
to food safety management shaped by science, industry, and
government over the past two decades. As FDA's Deputy
Commissioner recently explained, the FSMA shifts the focus of
FDA activities from "catching food safety problems after