A FSMA Rundown: Where The Industry Currently Stands On Preventive Controls Rules

By Pamela Sweeten, Owner & Founder, P. Sweeten Consulting

The FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act is designed to standardize food safety within the U.S. and countries importing food to the U.S. Now that the Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF) rules have been finalized, compliance dates are just a couple of years away, and even some documentation is required in less than one year.

Why Is The FDA Implementing FSMA?
The main reason FSMA has come into effect is the continual increase in food imports from countries worldwide to the U.S. This — coupled with complicated processes involved in producing, managing, and shipping product, with a lack of standardization — jeopardizes the health of U.S. consumers. FSMA focuses on improving food safety and public health through prevention and standardization.

What FSMA Intends To Improve

• Advancing Public Health
  • Focused on reducing foodborne illness through preventative practices
  • Intends to be a catalyst for innovation to prevent food safety problems
  • Promote consistency in implementing food safety prevention systems
• Leveraging and Collaborating
  • Working with both U.S. partners and international organizations to create a global food safety network
• Strategic and Risk-Based Industry Oversight
  • The FDA is developing an expanded toolkit that encompasses, according to the FDA, the following:
    • Commodity- and sector-specific guidance on implementation of prevention-oriented standards
    • Education and outreach to the industry to ensure expectations and requirements are understood
    • Technical assistance to facilitate compliance, especially by small and mid-size operators
    • Regulatory incentives for compliance, such as fewer and  and/or less-intense inspections for good performers
    • Reliable third-party audits to verify compliance
    • Public education, transparency, and publicity to promote compliance and prevention
    • Modernized approaches to inspection and enforcement based on the prevention framework and the enhanced inspection and enforcement tools provided by FSMA