The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued final regulations on the establishment and maintenance of records to protect the U.S. human food and animal feed supply in the event of credible threats of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals. FDA also issued draft guidance to FDA staff and industry, which details the internal procedures the agency will follow before requesting access to records.
"Publication of this recordkeeping rule represents a milestone in U.S. food safety and security," said secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tommy G. Thompson. "There is more work to do yet, but our nation is now more prepared than ever before to protect the public against threats to the food supply."