FSMA checklists available in Safefood 360° software

We see a lot of companies struggling with the upcoming FSMA legislation in the U.S. One of the main reasons for this is the sheer volume of new rules – it is hard to know where to even start reading.

So we decided to do what we usually do at Safefood 360° – do that work for you by running through thousands of pages of legislation and condense it down to 27 checklists that are now available in Safefood 360° for all of our existing and new customers.

We’ve added 27 checklists into Safefood 360° that allow you to test your compliance against FSMA requirements

In the day to day running of your business, it can be easy to overlook or lose sight of details or changes in the industry that you might not be aware of. Are you sure you are compliant to the highest standards and latest changes? You can be.

We pride ourselves on our ability to stay ahead of the curve and to make things easier for you so you can do the work that you love better. This is why we are delighted to announce the integration of the updated FSMA checklist into our software.

What checklist have we added?

There are altogether 27 checklists under the following sections:

• Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) Final Rule
• Preventive Controls for Food for Animals Final Rule
• Preventive Controls for Human Food Final Rule
• Standards for Produce Safety Final Rule

How does Safefood 360° help me comply?

The latest update has introduced the ability to conduct an audit against FSMA compliance. Through accessing the Safefood 360° program you can compare your business against the four checklists FSMA necessitates. The checklists can be added to any audit program by browsing the system checklists: “System Checklists” -> “Audits” -> “FDA” -> “FSMA”

The easiest way to use our FSMA checklists is by establishing an audit program using the checklists

Some of the checklists are quite comprehensive so they can be further broken down into segments to make processing more legible. This will allow you to create an audit that is easy to understand, follow, and implement in parts. With this knowledge, you can ensure that your business adheres to the necessary standards and continues to grow into the future.

What is FSMA?

The FDA Food Safety Modernization ACT (FSMA) was signed into U.S. law in January 2011 and was recently updated in November 2015. Its aim is to protect public health through adopting a modern, preventative, risk-based approach to food safety regulation. Its application has meant a shift in regulations from responding to contamination to actively preventing them and has modernized the FDA’s current good manufacturing process (CGMP).

What does FSMA affect?

The rule has requirements for:

• A written food safety plan
• Hazard analysis
• Preventive controls
• Monitoring
• Corrective actions and corrections
• Verification
• Supply-chain program
• Recall plan
• Associated records

While the updated CGMP requires refined standards for the production of food for animals in the areas of:

• Personnel
• Plant and grounds
• Sanitation
• Water supply and plumbing
• Equipment and utensils
• Plant operations
• Holding and distribution
• Holding and distribution of human food by-products for use as animal food

There are also restrictions on worker training, health and hygiene; agricultural water; biological soil amendments; proximity of domesticated and wild animals to the production; sprouts; and requirements on the standards of equipment, tools, and buildings that could possibly come into contact in the chain of production. It is important to note as well that other industries can be covered under different regulations such as HACCP, food for research, alcohol, and several others.

For a more comprehensive understanding of where your business stands in regards to compliance you should compare your business against the full regulations.

Please let us know your feedback and thoughts – and we hope you will find these checklists very useful!