The FDA guidance to sniff for the contaminant TBA has been proven effective by Pfizer [see related story]. But some have begun to question the effectiveness of FDA guidance on the whole.
The food industry is currently reviewing a guidance proposal by the regulator aimed at minimizing safety hazards in fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. It provides recommendations on how to avoid product contamination via pathogens that can cause foodborne illnesses, reports Food Safety News.
That's not good enough, says Nancy Donley, president of a nonprofit for preventing illness from foodborne pathogens, in the article. Guidelines don't have any teeth, she says, and the FDA needs something stronger. "We need mandatory requirements. FDA has been operating under guidance documents for years, and it hasn't worked. Nothing has changed."
"[T]he time has long passed for voluntary guidance, no matter how well-meaning," adds attorney Bill Marler.
- here's the article