The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is taking shape. Three of the rules at the heart of the first change in food-safety enforcement since the 1930s were released in January, nearly a year late. Much of the buzz centers on what the new rules will require of food facilities and farms. The scope and depth of the rules is dizzying, even for those accustomed to reading the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act. Although many in the industry are asking what the rules mean, a growing number are asking why they should bother complying with them when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may never inspect their facility.
