More than 200 farmers, lawmakers, and members of farming organizations attended a federal hearing on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), hosted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, at the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College on Aug. 20.
Many expressed concerns with the proposed rules, saying that they are designed for larger farms and have a one-size-fits-all approach to food safety regulations.
“I think there are some real challenges for small farms in the set of these regulations,” said Chuck Ross, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, “and that's why we're so pleased that the farmers came out and spoke ... if we don't speak up now it will be all the more difficult to adjust this in the future.”
Michael Taylor, deputy commissioner for food and veterinary medicine at the FDA, took testimony and answered questions together with Samir Assar, director of produce safety staff, and Jenny Schott, senior adviser to the office of food safety and applied nutrition.