Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Issues Farm Regulations To Increase Safety Of Produce
The Wall Street Journal: FDA Completes Long-Awaited Food-Safety Rules
The regulations issued Friday moved the government closer to implementing a law passed by Congress in 2010, which marked the biggest overhaul of federal food-safety oversight in 70 years. The regulations follow a wave of deadly outbreaks in the past decade that have been traced to produce—such as tainted spinach, cantaloupe and caramel apples—and are aimed at creating a food-safety system that will be less reactive and better at preventing contamination. (Newman, 11/13)
The Associated Press: Goal Of New Produce Safety Rules: Prevent Illness Outbreaks
The majority of farmers and food manufacturers already follow good safety practices, but the rules are intended to give greater focus on prevention in a system that has been largely reactive after large outbreaks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 48 million people — or 1 in 6 people in the United States — are sickened each year from foodborne diseases, and an estimated 3,000 people die. (Jalonick, 11/14)
In other news from the FDA -
Los Angeles Times: FDA Orders Recall Of 2,800 Scope-Washing Machines, Citing Infection Risk
Amid an ongoing investigation into superbug outbreaks nationwide, U.S. regulators have ordered a Pennsylvania company to recall its scope-cleaning machines used at UCLA and more than 1,000 other hospitals and clinics. The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it ordered the recall because Custom Ultrasonics had continued to violate federal law and those lapses could result in an increased risk of infection for patients. (Terhune, 11/13)
