It's Coming: FSMA

President Obama took office during one of the largest food borne illness outbreaks in our history.  During his first administration, the Food Safety Modernization Act was passed and signed into law.  At the dawn of his second administration the regulations are coming about as to what FSMA is going to mean for producers and importers.

Most folks who are already covered by the FDA regs are going to remain so.  They are simply going to need to update their process controls and paperwork to comply with the new regulations.  Most institutions on the following list are also going to have to institute CGMPs (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) as part of the law as well.  Likely as not, GMPs are something you are already doing!

So, the question remains...Are They Talking About Me?  Do I have to comply?

Do you have a facility that manufactures, processes, or packs human food? Yes

Are you currently registered with the FDA under current regulations? Yes

Do you store fruits and vegetables in a warehouse that are destined for further processing or distribution? Yes

Are you a farm, and don’t create or warehouse products on the farm? No

Do you sell less than $500,000 in products from your farm? No

Are you a small establishment making a low risk product, such as jams and jellies, honey or syrup? No

Are you already regulated under Low Acid Canned Food Guidelines? No

Do you produce seafood or juice? No

Do you produce alcohol or dietary supplements? No

Do you have a sales income less than $1M (might change to $500K or $250K)? Modified rules apply

Do you have warehousing with refrigeration? Modified rules apply

Do you have warehousing without refrigeration? No

Do you run a grain elevator that doesn’t further process? No

See yourself on that list?  Email michele<at>dirigoqualitymeats<dot>com or leave some contact info in the comments section and I will send you a Road Map for Ensuring FSMA compliance!