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The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is going to change how food and beverage companies do business. We’ve collected some facts about the Act and how it will impact the landscape of food safety in America. So click on the image below to see the full infographic.
FDA registration is now open and required for all facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for human or animal consumption in the United States and must be completed by December 31, 2012. As part of both the 2002 Bioterrorism Act and the Food Safety Modernization Act, facilities must now provide more information to the government and must re-register every even numbered year.
The FDA hopes this facility registration will improve response time and focus reactive efforts to bioterrorism and other food-related emergencies. Having an updated registry will allow the FDA to alert manufacturers, processors, packers, and holders of any potential problems within their particular food or beverage area and coordinate responses faster.
If you would like to learn more about how to register a facility, check out the FDA’s food facility registration guidance page here.
The world of EHS legislation, regulations and issues can be confusing at best sometimes, so it helps to have a little bit of clarity. That’s why EHS This Week is launching EHS In Depth, a new interview series designed to look at the fundamentals of a particular EHS issue.
This week we’re tackling a big one: the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) a huge piece of legislation that will revolutionize how companies in the food and beverage industry go about their business. In our inaugural broadcast I’ve invited industry specialist Jeremy Mawson to answer some key questions, including:
Don’t forget to write me at paul@ehsthisweek.com with any suggestions you have for future areas of discussion, and tune in to our weekly podcast on Friday afternoon when we discuss the week’s top stories in environment, health and safety news.
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Morning! We’d like to direct you on over to Podbean or the player below to check out the inaugural podcast of EHS This Week. Presented by myself and colleague Kristy Sadler, EHS This Week will recap the top stories from the world of environment, health and safety news.
This week we look at all the chatter surrounding OSHA’s mobile app fail, the Top 10 OSHA violations of 2011, Food Safety Modernization Act funding, and more.
So check back on a weekly basis for a quick rundown of the week’s top EHS Stories.
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As any American food producer knows, the landscape of food safety is changing.
Back in January, President Barack Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law. The act, a sweeping bill with the most significant changes to food safety in nearly 70 years, will affect thousands of food producers across the U.S. and, in light of some new stringent rules related to imports, around the world as well.
Specific requirements of the act have trickling out of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) throughout the year, including mandatory recall powers for the FDA, increased protection for whistleblowers, the ability to hold products that may be mislabeled, and more.
But the full scope of the rulemaking that follow the FSMA will only be known as the act is implemented over the course of the next year.
However, businesses who want up-to-the-minute news on implementation progress ought to head to the FDA’s FSMA online resource. This site features an array of helpful information and tools on all aspects of the FSMA, including a fantastic implementation timeline, as well as the opportunity to sign up for handy email updates on breaking FSMA news.
The North American Summit on Food Safety held in Toronto on March 8 – 9 was a clear success.
Attendees from all over North America gathered alongside successful vendors to address the most crucial safety topics in the food industry to date. The Food and Beverage Team from Intelex Technologies in Toronto took advantage of the opportunity to display key solutions on these issues, including products such as the Intelex Quality Management System, which helps ensure regulatory compliance and drive continuous improvement in the workplace.
“It was a very informative conference with great presentations”, commented Bevin Lyon, a senior solutions expert from Intelex. “This gave us a chance to meet with our valued clients, such as Campbell’s Soup Company and Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee.”
Intelex looks forward to the next Food and Safety Summit in 2012, with hopes that it will be conveniently close to home once again.
Food safety uncertainty? HACCP hiccups? Supply chain strain? You’re not alone. In recent years, food safety issues have been a part of the daily news cycle. Between food recalls, devastating food-borne illnesses, and movements by western governments to tighten food safety regulations, the relationship between global food companies and consumers has never been more apparent.
For the unprepared business, achieving the highest level of food safety performance can be costly and overwhelming. Fortunately, there’s help. The Global Food Safety Resource Centre (GFSR) is an amazing new resource designed to walk organizations through the increasingly complex task of complying with food safety regulations, implementing food management systems, or learning more about cutting edge developments in food safety leadership and technology.
Whether you’re looking for easy access to food safety specialists, guidance on complying with food safety regulations and standards, or extensive resources on industry best practices, news and technology, GFSR is positioned to be the one-stop-shop for food safety leadership.
“Food safety and security have become critical issues; it’s a challenge for many food businesses to implement a HACCP-based food management system, the costs associated with it can be onerous, especially during the global economic crisis,” says Tina Brillinger, President and Founder of GFSR, noted in a statement from the new Toronto-based organiuzation. “Many food businesses are struggling to make ends meet with little-to-no resources to help them. GFSR helps fill this void by giving businesses throughout the food supply chain, regardless of their size, equal access to resources they can trust.”
GSFR has a no-fee, open membership that ensures anyone with access to the system is a qualified food safety expert or a verified member of the food safety community.
If you want to position your company as a food safety leader, learn more about or simply prevent your organization from becoming the next headline, take a look at GFSR’s free offering.
