FSMA and Food Contract Manufacturing Companies

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is a key piece of legislation that was signed into law by President Obama in 2011. The law went into effect in 2011. By moving the focus from responding to outbreaks of foodborne disease to avoiding epidemics of such illnesses, the legislation intends to modernize and enhance the food safety system in the United States. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has had a substantial effect on food contract manufacturing enterprises as a result of the additional regulatory standards that it has imposed and the heightened attention that it has enhanced.

The mandate that food facilities prepare and follow a food safety plan is one of the most important aspects of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This plan is required to incorporate a hazard analysis and risk-based preventative controls (HARPC), which are aimed at mitigating the risks that may be posed by the facility’s activities and the goods it produces. Additionally, the facility is required to carry out a hazard analysis in order to determine and assess the potential risks that are associated with the food that it manufactures, and then it must put in place preventive controls in order to reduce or eliminate the possibility of those risks occurring.

The requirement that food facilities create a supply-chain policy that addresses dangers that may be introduced during the transportation of food is another essential component of the FSMA. This section mandates that food facilities must comply with the requirement. This comprises the implementation of steps to check the safety of food suppliers and ensuring that the food is not contaminated or misbranded while it is being transported. In addition, this includes ensuring that the food is not being sold under an incorrect brand name.

Additionally, the FSMA imposed additional mandates on facilities, requiring them to carry out environmental monitoring and testing in order to identify and eliminate the existence of germs that might be hazardous to the production environment.

In addition, the FSMA imposed additional obligations on facilities, such as the need that they keep records of their food safety operations, such as the outcomes of hazard analyses and preventative control measures, and that they make such data accessible to the FDA upon request.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) also included additional mandates that establishments must comply with, such as registering with the FDA, providing advance notification before importing food into the United States, and allowing the FDA access to the facility for inspection purposes.

Additionally, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) mandated additional criteria for facilities to fulfill the standards for foreign supplier verification programs (FSVP) for importers of food for people and animals, in addition to mandating that third-party auditors be accredited.

In a nutshell, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has resulted in the establishment of a variety of new regulatory standards and an increase in the level of scrutiny directed against food contract manufacturing companies. Now more than ever, businesses have an obligation to place a primary emphasis on the prevention of foodborne illnesses by putting into place food safety policies, supply-chain procedures, and environmental monitoring. In addition to this, they are required to keep records of the food safety activities they participate in, register with the FDA, and comply with the new standards for international supplier verification procedures as well as the accreditation of third-party auditors. In the event that these rules are not complied with, there may be hefty fines and penalties imposed.