Regulators have taken notice of the fast-moving” food innovation ” category, and the food and drug administration (FDA) is launching a safety initiative to address it.

This week, the FDA announced an upcoming public meeting called “a New era of smarter food safety,” according to Forbes. The meeting stems from an announcement by FDA acting Commissioner Ned Sharpless and Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas back in April and will “hear from a broad cross-section of stakeholders on a modern approach” on how to strengthen the protection of America’s food supply Agency.

SEE ALSO: Whole Foods CEO John McKay says meat-free isn’t great

“We intend to strategically outline how this new approach will address public health concerns, including the ability to track sources of contaminated food and using new predictive Analytics tools such as artificial intelligence to assess risks and prioritize Agency work and resources,” the FDA said in an announcement.

The meeting will also feature submissions for the regulator’s implementation of the new food safety modernization Act (FSMA), which will help “create a more digital, traceable and secure system to help protect consumers from contaminated food.”

While the Federal regulator has not named any specific companies or products, the opening of this “New era” coincides with several calls for the FDA to better regulate newly popular products. These include tech-focused food start-UPS like Beyond Meat, along with a booming CBD-infused category that has yet to be approved for food consumption.

With the FDA recently helping impossible products enter retail markets with its approval of a key ingredient, it’s no surprise that it wants to establish more consumer safety guidelines to accommodate the growing lab-grown food and beverage space. The public discussion, scheduled for October 21, will be available for viewing via webcast.

Like us on Facebook to see similar stories

Please give an overall rating of the site: