FDA Updates
The U.S. FDA releases its Small Entity Compliance Guide (SECG) to help smaller food facilities meet their registration requirements under the FD&C Act. The FD&C Act requires food facilities engaged in manufacturing/processing, packing, or holding of food for human or animal consumption in the U.S. to register with the FDA. The SECG explains what kinds of facilities must register, when, and how while also explaining the consequences to those who fail to register, when FDA can suspend a facility’s registration, and the impact of a suspension order on a facility. The SECG is in accordance with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act.
FDA also launches the new Substances Added to Food inventory, an upgraded version of the original Everything Added to Food in the U. S. inventory. The new inventory includes 4,000 substances while providing information on food and color additives and prior-sanctioned substances. Other new features include a search function tool that allows users to find out food ingredients and packaging inventories, direct links to applicable regulations for specific substances, and additional information such as other known names, common uses, and information by other entities when available. It’s important to note that this inventory is only a partial list of food ingredients and the inventory of information from non-FDA entities does not include an FDA approval or evaluation of the usage.
In addition, FDA’s new Export Listing Module (ELM) is an electronic portal for getting and processing requests from establishments that seek to be included on all export lists for FDA-regulated food products. For certain exported food products, some foreign food safety authorities require FDA to provide publicly available lists of exporters eligible to ship products to that country. This expanded module improves FDA’s ability to efficiently process establishments’ requests to be added to the lists, monitor listed companies, and generate updates for foreign regulatory agencies.
A New AFDO and Industry Vision
The AFDO 122nd Annual Education Conference recently wrapped up in South Burlington, Vt., serving as a springboard for a new initiative, creating change through a shared vision with food industry representatives. The “Partners with a Common Purpose” initiative recognizes a common purpose embraced and supported by both government regulators and industry alike in improving public health and consumer services. The concept of “Partners with a Common Purpose” extends beyond individual stakeholder interests; rather, it aims to drive successful collaboration and innovation by establishing equal partnership at meetings and forums to allow greater input toward continuously improving the safety of the food supply and public health. To become involved or learn more, provide contact information via registration link.
Forbes Chocolate Named Winner of 2018 Food Quality & Safety Award
Food Quality & Safety magazine honors Ohio-based Forbes Chocolate, a provider of cocoa and flavor powders, with the 17th annual Award. This prestigious honor recognizes the dedication and achievement of an organization that has made significant improvements in its safety and quality assurance programs. The company places great emphasis on using new technologies, updating equipment, and instilling ongoing employee training to stay at the forefront of manufacturing. Its SQF certification also underscores the company’s development and implementation of strong food safety and quality management systems. For the complete story behind the success of Forbes Chocolate, read the in-depth profile scheduled to appear in the October/November 2018 issue.
France Needs ‘Food Safety Police’ to Avoid New Lactalis Crisis
As reported by Reuters, lawmakers in France say the country should appoint a “food safety police” and increase fines on those who sell contaminated products to avoid a repeat of the Salmonella outbreak at a Lactalis milk factory last year that led to dozens of babies falling ill. Lactalis, the world’s largest dairy group, had to recall more than 12 million tins of baby milk in France and around the world due to the outbreak. France’s National Assembly launched a special inquiry into the scandal. In their findings, lawmakers recommended tougher judicial and financial sanctions against food makers. “Those who do not play by the rules must suffer the consequences: criminal and financial sanctions that will be much more important than the current ones,” said Gregory Besson-Moreau, head of the committee. He also suggested imposing a fee on food producers to finance state-run inspections, something that has been allowed by the EU. This could raise 270 million euros per year, and lead to the creation of 800 jobs in a new “food safety police” reporting to the farm minister.
Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance
Based off a new report from the FAO, OIE, and WHO, countries are stepping up to help tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The report charts progress in 154 countries, but reveals some discrepancies. While some European nations have been working on AMR policies for humans and animal sectors for over 40 years, others have only recently taken action to contain this growing threat. Progress in developing and implementing plans is greater in high-income than low-income countries but all countries have scope for improvement. No place has sustained capacity in all areas. The report looks at surveillance, education, monitoring, and regulating consumption and use of antimicrobials. The most promising findings are in 105 countries that have surveillance systems to report drug-resistant infections, and 68 countries with systems to detect consumption of antimicrobials. Report also highlights the animal and food sectors, where there is an urgent need for more investment and action. For example, only 64 countries follow FAO-OIE-WHO recommendations to limit the use of critically important antimicrobials for growth promotion in animal production.
FPSA Creates New Pet Food Council
The Food Processing Suppliers Association (FPSA) creates a new Pet Food Council, joining the Association’s existing five industry Councils including Bakery, Beverage, Dairy, Meat, and Prepared Foods. FPSA Councils form the backbone of the Association with each group having representation on the Board of Directors and helping to guide all programs so that they are relevant for all major industry segments. The Pet Food Council, the first new Council in the last 12 years, will meet over the coming months with the objective of electing their leadership and deciding what they want to achieve.
Business Briefs
Agri-Neo and Red River Commodities announce their partnership to use Agri-Neo’s food safety solution, Neo-Pure, to treat seeds and grains.
USDA FSIS awards 3M Food Safety a contract for pathogen detection instruments and kits to detect Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli.
Halter secures financing from Airbnb, Facebook, Planet, SpaceX, Spotify, and Rocket Lab to commercialize the company’s AI-powered “point and click” application in combination with proprietary “Cowgorithm,” letting farmers manage livestock globally.
Bio-Rad Laboratories signs a co-marketing agreement with Bruker to bring foodborne pathogen detection and confirmation workflow solutions to the food safety industry.
Bosch plans to look for a buyer for its pharmaceuticals and food units of the Packaging Technology division.
Hypred, Anti-Germ, Medentech, LCB Food Safety, and G3 adopt a custom name, Kersia, and a common banner for a shared mission: inventing a food safe world.
Sealed Air enters into an agreement with Kuraray America to offer food packaging materials derived from its Plantic bio-based resins.
Q Laboratories opens a new 30,000-sq.-ft. laboratory facility in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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