Officials to address farm rules in Suffolk

The commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will take a walking tour of some Long Island farms next week in response to the Food Safety Modernization Act signed into law in January by President Barack Obama.

Next Tuesday, Margaret Hamburg will join representatives of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County and the Long Island Farm Bureau to visit family-run farm operations, according to the LI Farm Bureau.

The event will give farmers an opportunity to talk about changes in the law, which strengthens rules on food handling, including among growers, in an effort to curb disease outbreaks related to contaminated vegetables and fruits.

According to the FDA website, the new rules will “ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus of federal regulators from responding to contamination to preventing it.” The website also states that more than 3,000 people die each year from food-borne illnesses.