National Milk Producers Federation

NMPF Comments on Burden of FDA FSMA Fees on Small Businesses

FSMA recognizes the role of small businesses in the food industry and provides for various ways to assist small businesses in meeting the new food safety requirements of the law. FDA established a docket for comments on the impact of FDA FSMA fees on small businesses.

On November 30, 2011, NMPF submitted comments to FDA about consideration that should be given to small businesses with respect to collection of fees for various activities (domestic/foreign facility reinspections, recalls, importer reinspections).

NMPF urged FDA to use the Small Business Administration's standard to define dairy processing facilities (500 employees or less). However, with respect to dairy farms, the SBA standard of less than $750,000 per year in sales is outdated. NMPF urged FDA to apply the SBA employee-based standard to dairy farms, or to use a roughly equivalent-based revenue standard for dairy farms.

Read NMPF's full comments.

Recent News: Raw Milk

• Outbreak: Pennsylvania and Maryland: Twelve people likely became sick with Campylobacter after drinking raw milk from a Chambersburg-area farm. State officials are awaiting test results on whether milk from the farm, called The Family Cow, is the cause of the illnesses. The dairy has agreed to temporarily stop the sale of raw milk. (PennLive.com, January 30, 2012, Pennsylvania Department of Health Press Release, January 30, 2012, Food Safety News, January 31, 2012)
   
• News: Washington, DC.  In January, 2012, the Obama administration delivered its official response to a petition on WhiteHouse.gov  requesting federal-level legalization of all raw milk sales. Doug McKalip, White House senior policy adviser for rural affairs, wrote, "This administration believes that food safety policy should be based on science. In this case, we support pasteurization to protect the safety of the milk supply because the health risks associated with raw milk are well documented." (Original petition and response) (Food Safety News, January 9, 2012)
   

NMPF Resources

• Raw milk
• Food Safety Regulations Follow current news on the food safety regulations related to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
• National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments:
  • Updates from past conferences (as pdf): 2011, 2009, 2007
• Food Defense and Security (hurricane preparedness, on-farm and milk tanker security)

External Resources

• www.realrawmilkfacts.com
• FDA's Food Safety Website
• FDA's Food Recalls Site
• CDC's Estimates of Foodborne Illness in the United States
• NCIMS Website
  
• NCIMS Documents