FSMA
Subscribe to FSMA's Posts

FDA Brewery Inspections

Most breweries have numerous deal­ings with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and un­derstand the need to comply with TTB regulations; this includes preparation for TTB audits and inspections. But the TTB is not the only federal agency with the authority to con­duct a brewery inspection.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also inspects food facilities, including breweries, to ensure they comply with FDA regulatory require­ments. The FDA may conduct inspections as the result of routine surveillance, product quality is­sues, consumer complaints, or recalls. The agen­cy also may conduct inspections to follow up on a previous inspection or an FDA enforcement ac­tion. The FDA also contracts with state and local food protection programs to conduct inspections and provide certification and training.

Read the full article, originally published in the July/August 2016 issue of The New Brewer.




read more

FDA Publishes Final Rule for Protection Against Intentional Adulteration as Part of Food Safety Modernization Act

FDA has published as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) a final rule concerning mitigation strategies to protect food against intentional adulteration.  The rule will require domestic and foreign food facilities that are required to register as food facilities under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to address hazards that may be introduced with the intention to cause wide scale public health harm.  More specifically, under this regulation, both domestic and foreign food facilities are required to complete and maintain a written food defense plan that assesses their potential vulnerabilities to deliberate contamination where the intent is to cause wide-scale public health harm. Facilities will now have to identify and implement mitigation strategies to address these vulnerabilities, establish food defense monitoring procedures and corrective actions, verify that the system is working, ensure that personnel assigned to the vulnerable areas receive appropriate training and maintain certain records.




read more

Product Recalls

Potential product recall situations rank among the most stressful that a producer can face. Things move fast and decisions must be made with less-than-perfect information. While no preparation will render such situations easy or routine, a producer can reduce the stress level and help navigate this “worst-case” scenario by understanding the process and taking certain steps to prepare. The article linked below aims to familiarize producers with the recall processes and situations while suggesting areas where preparation can help.

Read the full article, originally published in the Winter 2015-16 issue of Artisan Spirit Magazine.




read more

STAY CONNECTED

TOPICS

ARCHIVES