The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) applauds the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for passing the "Food Safety Modernization Act." The bill, which was enrolled on December 21, 2010, authorizes the largest overhaul of the federal food safety laws since the enactment of the "Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906."

IBWA supports this legislation as part of a large coalition that includes other food and beverage producers, manufacturers, and associations. We look forward to President Obama signing the bill into law as soon as possible. IBWA stands ready to work with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement the new law.

Key provisions of the new law will include:
• More frequent FDA inspections. Domestic facilities will be inspected based on risk: high risk facilities at least once every 3 years, and low risk facilities at least once every 5 years.
• Provides FDA with mandatory recall authority for those incidents that involve serious adverse health consequences or death (Class I Recall)
• Hazard analysis and identification of preventive controls. Each registered facility will be required to conduct a hazard analysis of reasonably foreseeable hazards and put into place preventive controls designed to significantly minimize or prevent those hazards. (IBWA members have been required to develop and implement a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) program since 2002.)
• Records maintenance and access. Each registered facility will be required to document its hazard analysis and preventive controls system, including corrective actions and product/environmental testing, and to make those records available to FDA upon request.