FDA will hold a public meeting on October 21, 2019 to hear from a broad cross-section of stakeholders on their new food safety approach, called “A New Era of Smarter Food Safety.” The new approach is intended to combine the implementation of FSMA with the use of new and emerging technologies, like blockchain, sensor technology, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence.  FDA is working towards enhancing its ongoing efforts to implement FSMA by creating a more digital, traceable, and safer system to help protect consumers from contaminated food.

At the meeting, the public will have a chance to discuss and comment on FDA’s new approach to food safety and the input received both at the meeting and in comments submitted to the accompanying Federal Register docket will help shape the FDA Blueprint for a New Era of Smarter Food Safety. As our readers may remember, the Blueprint will outline how FDA plans to address several areas of food safety, including traceability, digital technologies, and evolving food business models. FDA intends for the strategic plan to outline how this new approach will address public health challenges, including being able to trace sources of contaminated foods and using new predictive analytics tools to assess risks and prioritize the agency’s work and resources.

Persons interested in attending the public meeting either in-person or by webcast must register online by October 11, 2019. The deadline to submit written/electronic comments is November 20, 2019.