WASHINGTON – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will hold a public meeting to discuss the agency’s approach to implementing the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA). The meeting is scheduled for Oct. 21, 2019, in Rockville, Maryland.

The agency is calling its modern approach “A New Era of Smarter Food Safety,” that builds on early progress made to implement FSMA while incorporating digital technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and sensors. FDA says new and emerging technologies will lead to a more transparent, traceable and safer food system. The public meeting the FDA is planning will serve as a platform for input about the agency’s plans.

“We intend for the strategic plan to outline how this new approach will address public health challenges, including being able to trace sources of contaminated foods and using new predictive analytics tools like artificial intelligence to assess risks and prioritize the agency’s work and resources,” FDA said in the meeting notice.

Attendees can register online to attend the meeting in person or via live webcast.