On Nov. 5, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hosted a two-hour webinar with American Indian tribes to discuss FDA’s proposed rules on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). During the webinar, FDA emphasized that it will work with tribes to implement FSMA regulations.

However, tribes remain concerned and frustrated with FDA’s failure to consult with them before developing regulations that will have far-reaching impacts on their communities.

“[The] webinars conducted by the FDA have been small steps to including tribes, collectively the largest agriculturalists in the U.S., into the discussion of FSMA and its potential effects on tribes. But there is still a long way to go,” says Raymond Foxworth of First Nations Development Institute.

Michael Taylor, the deputy commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at FDA, led the webinar. He responded to most questions posed by tribal representatives with assurances that FDA is committed to helping tribes implement FSMA.

“We want to have an ongoing dialogue about some of the implementation issues,” said Taylor in his opening remarks.

But tribal representatives, such as A-dae Romero of the Cochiti Pueblo, say that their communities are not merely concerned about implementation of FSMA.