State Responsible

State Responsible

For Plant Inspection

A cooperative agreement was signed today making Virginia responsible for the complete inspection of food warehouses and candy plants in the state. The document, signed by Maurice D. Kinslow, director, Baltimore District of the Food and Drug Administration and Maurice B. Rowe, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Commerce, follows earlier agreements concerning soft drink bottling plants, canneries, wheat and com mills.

Said Commissioner Rowe: “This agreement is another example of cooperative efforts made by the federal government and Virginia to loffer the best possible services available to the consumer. We have developed over the years a very effective state inspection service with our state laws that are similar to federal inspection laws. Both FDA and VDAC will continue to explore areas for further cooperation to avoid any possible duplication of effort.”

The agreement signed today is similar to one signed on January 31, 1968, when the VDAC food section entered into a momorandum of agreement with the district FDA for the total inspection of soft drink bottling plants, and on March 15, 1968 when that agreement was amended to include all canneries and wheat and corn mills in Virginia.

Virginia Food Laws administered by VDAC are {similar to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act administered by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration. TTie difference is that Virginia inspectors inspect foods manufactured or sold in Virginia and federal inspectors inspect foods in interstate commerce.

Virginia will now have the i primary inspection responsibility ! for sanitation, adulteration and ! misbranding in all areas specified ! in the agreement of Virginia

| produced food products to be I used inside or outside the state.