The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced that routine inspections of small businesses to verify compliance with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) Intentional Adulteration (IA) rule will begin in March 2021. The IA rule requires food facilities covered by the rule to develop and implement a food defense plan that identifies
FSMA
FDA Releases Blueprint for the New Era of Smarter Food Safety
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released its “Blueprint for the Future” (Blueprint) as part of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative. Launched in April 2019, this effort seeks to build upon FDA’s work implementing the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) by establishing a new approach to food safety that…
OMB Releases Spring 2020 Unified Agenda of Regulatory Actions
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently released the Spring 2020 Unified Agenda of Regulatory actions, which outlines the rulemaking actions currently under development in each federal agency. This memorandum summarizes the major actions that may be of particular interest to the food industry that are being planned by the U.S. Food and Drug…
COVID-19 Update: FDA Prepares to Resume Domestic Inspections
Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement on July 10, 2020, describing the agency’s intentions and approach to resuming domestic inspections in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. After temporarily suspending inspections in March 2020, FDA is working toward restarting on-site inspections during…
FDA Provides Update on Forthcoming New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently provided an update from FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn M.D. and Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response Frank Yiannas on the forthcoming New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint (Blueprint), which will outline the agency’s strategy to create “a more digital, traceable, and safer food system” over…
COVID-19 Update: Highlights from New Q&A With FDA Deputy Commissioner Yiannas
Yesterday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted on its website a conversation with FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food and Policy Response Frank Yiannas that addresses common questions concerning food availability and food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consistent with prior statements from FDA, Deputy Commissioner Yiannas reiterates that currently there are no food…
FSMA Update: FDA Issues Compliance Program Guidance Manual for Preventive Controls Inspections
This post summarizes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Compliance Program Guidance Manual (CPGM) for food facilities subject to preventive controls and sanitary human food operation requirements. As an overview, FDA’s “Compliance Programs” provide instructions to FDA personnel for conducting activities to evaluate industry compliance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)…
FDA Releases Third and Final Installment of Draft Guidance for FSMA Intentional Adulteration Rule
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released the third and final installment of its Draft Guidance to support compliance with the Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration (IA rule). Under the IA rule, the last of the major FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules to be released, food facilities must…
OMB Releases Fall 2019 Unified Agenda of Regulatory Actions
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently released the Fall 2019 Unified Agenda of Regulatory Actions, which outlines the rulemaking actions currently under development in each federal agency. This memorandum summarizes the major actions that may be of particular interest to the food industry that are being planned by the U.S. Food and Drug…
FSMA Update: FDA Announces Continuation of Enforcement Discretion for Co- Manufacturer Supplier Verification
On November 6, 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in a Constituent Update that it will continue to exercise enforcement discretion with respect to certain supply-chain program requirements applicable to contract manufacturers (“co-manufacturers). The agency is taking this action to address situations where brand owners perform certain supply-chain program requirements on behalf of…