Newhouse Praises Food and Drug Administration Proposal to Reclassify Almonds, Hops, Pulse Crops and Wine Grapes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) issued the following statement praising the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) issuance of a final guidance stating the agency's intent to exercise enforcement discretion for the requirements of the Produce Safety Rule, part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), as they apply to entities growing, harvesting, packing and holding wine grapes, hops, pulses and almonds:

"FDA's announcement to use discretionary enforcement while it reopens rulemaking to apply common sense and modernize classification of these commodities is welcome news for farm country," said Rep. Newhouse. "I requested a science-based reclassification on behalf of food producers and the agriculture community. Reclassification would ensure food safety while recognizing the unique production circumstances of these commodities. I thank Commissioner Gottlieb for responding to these concerns, and I hope FDA continues to keep them in mind in future rulemakings."