Federal Judge Extends Deadline for FDA's Schedule of Food Safety Rulemakings
The U.S. District Court for Northern California extended the time period for the Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Food Safety to come up with a timeline for implementation of Food Safety Modernization Act regulations. The District Court had ordered FDA to adhere to a schedule for FSMA rulemaking in April, due to missed deadlines for rules that the court had deemed illegal (see 13042402). But concerned that its own dates would be arbitrary, the court instead ordered the Center for Food Safety and the Food and Drug Administration to agree to a timeline by May 20. The new deadline for the rulemaking schedule is June 10.
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The Center for Food Safety and FDA requested the extension in a joint filing dated May 17. According to the joint motion for extension, the Center for Food Safety believes that the FDA’s proposal for its rulemaking schedule doesn’t comply with the District Court’s instructions. FDA, meanwhile, thinks its proposal “represents their considerable efforts to develop realistic projections of estimated dates for completion of the various tasks,” the joint filing said. “In light of the Court’s April 22, 2013 Order and in the interest of judicial economy, the parties request more time to continue discussions in the hope of narrowing their differences.”
Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of the joint motion or the judge’s order.