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New Food Safety Rules Shift FDA Focus To Prevention

Blue Bell Creameries voluntarily recalled its products in April after they were linked to listeria cases in four states.
Randy OHC via Flickr

You may have noticed the periodic recalls at your local supermarket, warning of listeria, e. coli or salmonella in recent shipments of produce or frozen goods. According to the CDC, 1 in 6 Americans get sick annually from food-borne diseases.

After a 2010 law and a suit by advocacy groups to speed up the process, the FDA has come out with a new set of rules for food manufacturers that the agency hopes will prevent contamination before products reach the store, as the AP reports:

New federal food safety rules issued after deadly outbreaks “The food safety problems we face have one thing in common — they are largely preventable,” said Michael Taylor, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for foods.