The FDA today issued new draft guidance that clarifies and extends compliance dates for certain parts of four of its seven foundational FSMA rules.
The new draft guidance does a few things so far:
Provides more time for meeting requirements related to certain assurances needed from customers
Extends deadlines for importers of food-contact substances
Provides extensions to align compliance dates for various other food operations
Allows more time for the FDA to resolve specified issues
Clarifies the timeframe for agricultural water testing.
Today’s published guidance is available for comment starting tomorrow, August 24. It’s the first five chapters of multi-chapter guidance designed to help food businesses reach full compliance. The FDA expects to continue releasing additional chapters of this guidance through early 2018.