A final rule was published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that provides whistleblower protections for company employees who disclose potential food safety problems. The rule sets out procedures for handling retaliation complaints under the Food Safety Modernization Act and details the procedures for the government and employers to follow when investigating and responding to these types of complaints.

The North American Meat Institute reports that “employees are protected when they provided or are about to provide to their employer, the federal government or the attorney general of a state information relating to any violation of, or any act or omission the employee reasonably believes to be a violation of, food safety rules and regulations.” Employees are also protected if they testify or plan to testify about food safety violations or they assist in investigations.