Do you have your food defense plan in place? July 26, 2019 is the compliance deadline for the FDA’s final rule on Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against International Adulteration under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). This deadline is for companies with over $10 million in annual revenue and with more than 500 full-time equivalent employees. Small businesses will need to comply by July 26, 2020.
Managing the implementation team is vital to regulatory compliance success. Implementing change is always challenging, so a dedicated team is required. However, food manufacturing has recently seen an all-time high in employee turnover. The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition estimates a turnover rate of 33 percent for FDA-regulated facilities. To ensure that personnel perform their jobs well, appropriate training and maintaining food defense records, corrective actions and verification activities must be evaluated. Food companies must efficiently and effectively train their team, provide guidance and on-site threat assessments to ensure they are keeping up with shifting regulatory demands.