FSMA meetings planned in D.C.

United Fresh will host a series of stakeholder meetings held in conjunction with the FDA public hearings on the proposed Produce Safety Rule and the Preventive Controls for Human Foods Rule. The first will be held Feb. 27 in Washington, D.C, immediately prior to FDA’s public meeting on Feb. 28 – March 1.

The United Fresh meetings will provide opportunities for fresh produce industry stakeholders to learn about and respond to the proposed rules.

“United’s extensive FSMA rules review process involves members from all segments of the industry, and these meetings will be critical to ensuring that the comments we submit are reflective of that,” said David Gombas, United senior vice president of food safety and technology. “I encourage all members to review the resources that we have made available and attend a meeting to give us feedback.”

Two additional United Fresh meetings will be announced as FDA releases dates and locations for their public meetings. FDA will hold a total of three public meetings for each of the rules, as required by law, with the remaining two expected to be held in other regions of the country.

The FDA meetings will be Feb. 28 from 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. and March 1 from 8:30 a.m. – 12 noon, at the Jefferson Auditorium, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Wing 5 Entrance, Washington, D.C. Information on the other two public meetings including dates, locations, and registration information will be released shortly. The agenda format for all three meetings will be the same.

The meetings are designed to solicit oral and public comments from stakeholders on the proposed rules, inform the public about the rulemaking process (including how to submit comments, data and other information to the rulemaking dockets), and respond to questions about the proposed rules.

Public Meeting attendees are encouraged to register on-line or contact: Courtney Treece, Planning Professionals, Ltd., 1210 W. McDermott, Suite 111, Allen, TX 75013, telephone: 704-258-4983, fax: 469-854-6992, e-mail: ctreece@planningprofessionals.com.

For general questions about the meeting or to request special accommodations due to a Disability, contact: Juanita Yates, FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, telephone: 240-402-1731, e-mail: juanita.yates@fda.hhs.gov