Food Safety Modernization Act FDA FSMA
The ISO Pros
Food is the product that we can all agree on that we need on a daily basis. Without food, we would be hungry, when we’re hungry, we might not be able to function normally like how we would do. But did you know that about 1 out of 6 people in a year get hospitalized because of diseases that come from and root from food? This number is alarming and it needs to be stopped and halted in the earliest and the most urgent time possible.
One thing that was able to control this amount was through the Food Safety Modernization Act by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This Act helped not only consumers but also manufacturers and food producers in the manufacturing of goods and consumes that are safe for the health of people of all ages.
What is the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)?
As per the FDA, there are seven (7) major rules upon the implementation of the FSMA. These rules are direct regulations to specific scenarios and the primary goal of each is to reduce or to fully eradicate the contamination of food.
Produce Safety
This rule outlines the establishment of minimum standards of the process of food development. From the planting, the growing, the harvesting, the packing, and even the storing of the products and the food contents and components.
Third-Party Certification
Under this rule, it provides the accreditation to third-party certification bodies in administering the regulatory audits and voluntary consultative in helping companies prepare for the certifications and the audits that would be required.
Preventive Controls for Human Food
Human food is the natural and the regular food that we eat and it’s just right to keep it safe and secure. FDA-registered facilities that create and make human food should have a documented plan in the identification of hazards. This is what’s going to outline the preventative controls for human food.
Preventive Controls for Animal Food
For the animal food, on the other hand, animal food facilities that are duly registered with the FDA should also have appropriate documentation outlining the hazards and the preventative controls for animal food.
Sanitary Transportation
From farm to table, the danger and the hazard aren’t just in the planting and the growing of the food and the crops – there’s also danger on how it’s transported and brought to certain facilities, too.
Food Defense Food Defense or Intentional
Adulteration is the rule that caters to FDA-registered facilities who need to develop a plan that evaluates and assesses the contamination chances and options; and they must provide a written report that dictates and discusses the plan of lessening or mitigating that given risk.
Foreign Supplier Verification Program
Not everything can be bought and found locally, there are some that need the intervention of foreign supply chains and it should undergo the foreign supplier verification program rule. Suppliers and contractors who engage in international activity need to abide by the regulations set by the FDA.
Non-Compliance: What Can It Do?
Not complying with the standard set by the FDA, as we’ve expected, might incur a lot of negative effects. As a matter of fact, non-compliance is seen as a serious criminal act; it should never be disregarded and it can curb a company or an organization’s overall reputation.
Should you find yourself needing a company that you know you can absolutely trust and count on, you can bank on us, the company, and the auditing organization that many food distributors and food conglomerates have trusted.
We work with all types and kinds of businesses, even in whatever industry. For instance, if you are a retailer and you want to have some type of certification, all the food and the products that you produce and offer your clients would be safe – but that doesn’t save you from receiving products that haven’t been approved.
This happens when your supplier is not sure of the products that they’re offering – this can have a compounding effect not just on your business, but how your reputation in the industry is.
With the help of our experts, professionals, and the auditors we have in the industry, there shouldn’t be any problem with how you can understand and implement the FSMA in your company or your organization.