FDA releases final foreign supplier rule

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released its final rule for Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) for Food for Humans and Animals. This rule is part of FDA’s implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Most importers will be required to comply with FDA’s FSVP rule in May 2017 (18 months after publication).
FDA defines an FSVP as a program that verifies “that (importers’) foreign suppliers are producing food in a manner that provides the same level of public health protection as the preventive controls or produce safety regulations, as appropriate, and to ensure that the supplier’s food is not adulterated and is not misbranded with respect to allergen labeling.” The FSVP rule covers importers of food and beverages, which FDA defines as “the US owner or consignee of a food offered for import into the United States.” If there is no US owner or consignee, the exporter’s US agent is the importer.
Importers must create an FSVP for each food imported from each foreign supplier. If they import the same food from two different suppliers, that will require two FSVPs. One element of an FSVP is a hazard analysis. Importers must determine potential biological, chemical, and physical hazards posed by each food they import.
Importers must also evaluate the performance of each of their foreign suppliers and use that evaluation to approve suppliers. This includes evaluating each supplier’s history of compliance with FDA food safety regulations, “including whether the foreign supplier is the subject of an FDA warning letter or import alert.” Importers should only import from approved foreign suppliers.
For approved foreign suppliers, importers must determine appropriate supplier verification activities, conduct those activities, and conduct corrective actions. Examples of verification activities may include annual on-site audits of a supplier’s facility, sampling and testing, and review of a supplier’s food safety records. Importers should choose verification activities that appropriately fit the risks of each supplier.
Importers may designate a third party to conduct a hazard analysis, a supplier risk evaluation, or to perform verification activities on their behalf. Registrar Corp’s food safety specialists can develop or review a food safety plan that identifies potential hazards associated with a food or supplier and a plan to control those hazards. Registrar Corp also offers an FDA Compliance Monitor, which food facilities may use to monitor their foreign suppliers for FDA inspections, warning letters, import alerts and import refusals. The monitor is updated consistently, allowing importers to take prompt corrective action.

FDA focuses on FSMA Phase 2 implementation

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) focused on implementation of Phase 2 of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) at its public meeting in Chicago on October 20, 2015.
According to Roberta Wagner, associate director for FSMA operations, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at FDA, FSMA is being implemented in three phases:

• Phase 1: Setting standards by developing regulations and policy.
• Phase 2: Designing strategies to promote and oversee industry compliance by identifying performance metrics to measure success.
• Phase 3: Transitioning strategies and performance metrics from design to operation and evaluating their success.

To implement Phase 2, which is the next step in the process, FSMA workgroups were established by FDA’s food and veterinary medicine executive council. Those workgroups are charged with developing the framework and multi-year implementation plan for ensuring compliance.
“We’ve set ourselves up so we are not operating in silos within the agency,” Wagner said.
Guiding Phase 2 FSMA implementation is a Program Alignment Initiative that relies on several factors to result in successful FSMA implementation:

• Vertically integrated, commodity-based programs
• Specialization of inspection and compliance staff and regulatory labs
• Clear, current and consistently applied policy
• Streamlined decision-making
• Risk-based allocation of program resources
• Agreed-upon performance and public health metrics

Key implementation principles

Joann Givens, food and feed program director for FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs, explained that Phase 2 implementation relied on several key principles. Those are:

• Industry education, outreach and technical assistance: This can be achieved by facilitating industry compliance with prevention-oriented standards through guidance documents, tools and resources for education, alliances with stakeholders, and technical assistance networks.
• Regulator training: Stringent training will promote uniform, quality inspections, which will result in consistent decision-making by regulators.
• Inspections: Systems-based inspections, as opposed to observation-focused ones, will be interactive and cooperative.  
• Compliance and enforcement: The development and implementation of explicit inspection and enforcement strategies will facilitate consistent decision-making by regulators. FDA also will encourage the industry to comply with regulations and make corrections on its own. The agency says it realizes that not all observations are equal relative to risk and the potential for public health impact and that it is aiming for a dynamic regulatory strategy.
• Accountability and stakeholder engagement: FDA is looking to develop meaningful public health and performance metrics to measure the success of FSMA implementation. It says it recognizes the role of the marketplace in influencing and expanding industry compliance with FSMA rules and therefore plans to work closely with industry, government agencies, academia, other key stakeholders and partners.

FDA seeks to minimize Salmonella illness in pets

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking into ways to minimize the incidence of foodborne illness associated with pet food and treats.

“Ultimately, we’re hoping to learn ways FDA can help minimize the incidence of foodborne illness associated with pet foods and treats,” says Renate Reimschuessel, veterinarian, research biologist and head of the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network.

Over the past two years, 11 labs with which the FDA partners have focused on Salmonellainfections in dogs and cats. Each lab collected stool samples from dogs and cats with signs of salmonellosis and compared the samples with a control group. The study also asked pet owners questions about their pets.

Of 3,000 pets tested, less than 100 tested positive for Salmonella.

“Pet owners should know, though, that almost half of the dogs that tested positive for Salmonellashowed no symptoms,” Reimschuessel said.

FDA is offering ways pet owners can minimize the spread of illness in the event that pet food and treats may be contaminated:

• Avoid buying pet food in dented cans or with damaged packaging.
• Feed your pets in a location that can be easily cleaned and sanitized.
• Wash countertops, tables, or any surfaces compromised when pet foods have come into contact with them.
• Earmark some utensils for use only with pet foods.
• Wash hands carefully after handling pet foods.
• Keep dry pet foods in a cool, dry place and sealed in a container to prevent spoilage.
• No matter how you store your pet food, keep the original packaging which contains data such as the manufacturer’s contact information, lot code, and UPC number. These facts can be useful if a pet food is a suspected source of illness and an investigation is under way.

FDA warns Nestle Purina plant about 'significant violations'

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a warning letter to a Nestle Purina PetCare manufacturing facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania, after an inspection in September 2014 revealed "significant deviations from the LACF (acidified and low-acid canned foods) regulations, Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Parts 108 and 113 (21 CFR Parts 108 and 113)."

Violations include:

• failure to process each low-acid canned food in conformity with at least the scheduled process filed with FDA
• failure to identify, from a processor chack or otherwise, deviations from the scheduled process of critical factors which are out of control and failure to record these deviations in a separate log
• failure to chlorinate or otherwise sanitize cooling water as necessary for cooling canals and recirculated water supplies
• failure to establish a system for product traffic control in the retort room to prevent un-retorted product from bypassing the retort process
• failure to install the mercury-in-glass thermometers in a location where they can be accurately and easily read
• failure to have records of all processing and production signed or initialed by a representative of plant management who is qualified by suitable training or experience
Keith Schopp, a spokesman for Nestle Purina, said the company is confident there are no food safety issues or risks to pet health with the company's products. Schopp said officials are in the process of providing FDA with measures it intends to take to correct the production errors.
The FDA said it requires a written response addressing the alleged violations, and that "failure to take appropriate corrective action may subject your firm and products to further actions, such as emergency permit control, injunction or seizure."

FDA reopens comment period on Reportable Food Registry proposed rulemaking

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reopened the comment period for an additional 60 days on its advance notice of proposed rulemaking entitled, “Implementation of the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Amendments to the Reportable Food Registry (RFR) Provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.” In the advance notice of proposed rulemaking, FDA requested comments, data and information that will help to implement the new provisions to the RFR requirements added by FSMA.

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The RFR is an electronic portal for industry to use to submit reports to FDA regarding reportable foods. A reportable food is an article of food (other than dietary supplements or infant formula) for which there is a reasonable probability that use of, or exposure to, such article of food will cause serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals. On March 26, 2014, FDA published a Federal Register notice inviting comments on issues related to the FSMA amendments, including the following:

• what information responsible parties should be required to provide FDA that would enable consumers to accurately identify whether they possess such foods
• manners and locations used by grocery stores to provide food recall information to consumers
• information regarding potential impacts to and costs incurred by chain grocery stores related to posting consumer notifications
The agency is reopening the comment period based on a request for an extension to allow interested persons additional time to submit comments. You may comment electronically on www.regulations.gov using docket number FDA-2013-N-0590.

FDA sets deadlines for food safety regulation implementation

The regulations required by the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act will be fully in place by spring 2016, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The regulations for preventative control for animal and human food at factories and warehouses must be finalized by August 2015.

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The process of finalizing the regulations has been troubled by delays, which prompted the Center for Food Safety (CFA) to file a lawsuit against the FDA over the missed statutory deadlines. A consent agreement filed on February 20 in federal district court in Oakland, Calif., cements a staggered set of deadlines for the rules. "This is a major victory for the health and safety of the American people," said George Kimbrell, the Center's lead attorney. "The first major update to our food safety laws since 1938 must now be implemented in a close-ended, timely fashion. That means safer food for American families."
An earlier federal ruling sided with the CFA, directing the agency to complete all of the rules by 2015. The agency appealed, and Michael Taylor, the FDA's deputy commissioner for foods, told The Hill late last year that the court-ordered deadlines would be "enormously challenging." As part of the settlement agreement, the FDA has dropped its appeal in exchange for a new set of deadlines, according to the CFS.

New US FDA program aims to standardize inspections for petfood, animal feed

A new federal program aims to standardize inspection procedures for petfood and farm animal feed produced in the US, making them safer, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

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The Animal Feed Regulatory Program Standards comprise a series of voluntary standards for inspections by state and other regulatory programs that oversee the production of petfood and feed for farm animals such as cattle, chickens and pigs. Currently, routine inspection and enforcement practices can differ among the various state agencies responsible for conducting inspections of the companies that make these products, and problems can often fall through the gaps, say critics. The new standards aim to help unify this process, with guidelines that range from on-site inspection protocols at feed plants to how to respond to feed-related illnesses or deaths.
The guidelines are comprised of 11 individual standards:

• Regulatory foundation
• Training
• Inspection program
• Auditing
• Feed-related illness or death and emergency response
• Enforcement program
• Outreach activities
• Budget and planning
• Laboratory services
• Sampling program
• Assessment and improvement of standard implementation
While the program is not mandatory, "the FDA is encouraging state programs to implement the feed standards because this will build uniformity and consistency among state feed regulatory programs," said the agency. The new program follows the 2011 federal Food Safety Modernization Act, which shifted the focus of federal regulators away from responding to food contamination to preventing it.

AVMA won't warn against feeding treats tied to illness, deaths

Despite reports of pet illness and deaths tied to jerky treats, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) says it won't warn pet owners against feeding the treats to their dogs, according to an NBC News report.

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The AVMA rejected a resolution this month that would have discouraged use of the jerky products until further evidence about safety is available.
"The resolution as presented is basically dead," said David Kirkpatrick, an AVMA spokesman. "We don't have the scientific proof to say, 'Don't do it.'"
Instead, the AVMA's house of delegates recommended that the group tell its 85,000 members to report jerky-related pet problems to the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and to work with the FDA to safeguard animals through "quality control of pet food and treats."
The strips, nuggets and other treats have been linked to nearly 600 pet deaths and 4,500 illnesses since 2007. The conditions include gastrointestinal illnesses, kidney failure and Fanconi syndrome. The AVMA and the FDA remind owners that jerky treats are not a necessary part of a pet's diet and to seek medical care at the first sign of gastric distress or kidney trouble.
The AVMA resolution came weeks before Nestle Purina Pet Care said it plans to introduce new versions of its Waggin' Train products in February, and Del Monte Foods Corp. said it would offer new versions of its Milo's Kitchen treats in March.
The companies issued nationwide recalls last year after New York state agriculture officials detected trace levels of unapproved antibiotics in jerky treat samples. The FDA and company officials said that the antibiotics weren't tied to the ongoing reports of illnesses.
Nestle Purina said it has made "significant enhancements" to the Waggin' Train production process, including limiting meat sourcing to single suppliers and requiring that each batch of treats be tested for a range of contaminants.

FDA extends comment period deadline for FSMA animal food rule

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the comment period deadline for the Food Safety Modernization Act's (FSMA) proposed animal food rule from February 26 to March 31, according to the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA).

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In November 2013, AFIA, the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA), National Renderers Association and Pet Food Institute submitted a joint letter to FDA requesting an extension on the comment period deadline for the animal food rule comment period.
AFIA said the comment period deadline extension will give the organization valuable time to further review and submit comments to the agency. It is unlikely, however, that FDA will grant extensions for other FSMA proposed rules due to a strict court-mandated timeline.
"We'd celebrate this victory, but there's little time to do so with the work still ahead of us in preparing comments for these massive rules, the foreign supplier verification proposed rules and third-party certification proposed rules for which comments are due January 27," said AFIA senior vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs, Richard Sellers. "In addition, FDA has published proposed rules for the veterinary feed directive program due March 11.
We're very appreciative that FDA granted our request and will continue to work alongside of the agency as we wade through the rules."
AFIA FSMA Working Groups met January 16-17 in Tampa, Florida, USA, to answer more than 40 questions presented by FDA in the proposed rules for the FSMA animal food rule. Eight sub-groups have been formed to focus on specific areas of the rule.
AFIA spokeswoman Miranda McDaniel said the expectation of the meeting was to address a majority of the issue areas in the rules and leave with a large number of them resolved or nearing resolution.
In addition, the appropriations bill report language supports FDA's decision to rewrite and seek public comment on aspects of its proposed FSMA regulations.
FDA is to be commended for its recent decision to revise language in proposed rules affecting farmers including changes to proposed regulations regarding water quality standards and testing, the use of raw manure and compost, mixed use facilities, and qualified exemptions, the report said.

FDA releases sixth proposed rule under FSMA

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 20 released the sixth rule pertaining to the Food Safety Modernization Act. The proposed rule, Focused Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food against Intentional Adulteration, would require registered domestic and foreign food facilities to address hazards that may be intentionally introduced by acts of terrorism.

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Animal food is one of several exemptions listed by FDA in the proposed rule.
"It is our understanding that under FDA's risk-based approach, animal feed and petfood were given an exemption from this rule because of their significantly reduced risk of causing intentional harm to human health," said Leah Wilkinson, American Feed Industry Association (AFIA)'s director of ingredients, petfood and state affairs. "AFIA agrees with FDA's conclusion and will work with our members to provide comments on this proposed rule."
The intentional adulteration rule is published in the December 24 Federal Register. FDA plans to host a public meeting in regards to the rule in College Park, Maryland, USA, on February 20, 2014. Comments on the proposed rule are due March 31, 2014. 

FDA issues proposed preventative control rules for petfood, animal feed

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on October 25 issued the proposed rule on Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Food for Animals as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act. The regulations would apply to all domestic and imported animal feed, including petfood and treats, and the raw ingredients in those products.
"We have been pushing feed safety for a number of years," said Daniel McChesney, director of the office of surveillance and compliance at the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. "It's not, 'Oh, we're just making food for animals.' They're the first part of the food chain. We're a part of the overall food industry."
The challenge for companies that produce animal foods and pet products will be in meeting the deadlines for compliance, McChesney said. Times will vary according to the size of an operation, with small and very small businesses being allowed more leeway.
The new rules will be published in the Federal Register on October 29. They will be open for public comment for 120 days and would be adopted as law within 60 days after the comment period closes. FDA will hold three public meetings in November and December to seek input on the proposed rule.
In response to FDA's regulations, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) and National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) issued the following joint statements:
According to Richard Sellers, AFIA vice president of feed regulation and nutrition: "We are pleased to see these rules are now available for public comment. These rules will have a major impact on our members. We will begin implementing our plan to analyze the preventive control rules jointly with the Foreign Supplier Verification and the Accreditation of Third Party Auditors rules already released. We have asked the agency to extend the deadline for comments to match the preventive control rules deadline."
"Publishing the proposed preventive control rule for animal feed and pet food is another important step in FDA's ongoing implementation of FSMA," said David Fairfield, NGFA vice president of feed services. "We intend to work closely with AFIA, Pet Food Institute and other industry partners in developing comments on the proposed provisions to help ensure the requirements are achievable and facilitate the continued manufacture and distribution of safe animal feed and petfood."
AFIA and NGFA said they both will submit extensive public comments on the proposed rule.
"AFIA has been very active for five years in FSMA legislation," said AFIA President and CEO Joel G. Newman. "FSMA represents the most significant reform to feed regulation in several decades. It will help ensure the continuation of the highest standards of safety throughout the entire food system. AFIA will be working with FDA, feed industry partners and our members over the coming months and years to guarantee a smooth implementation of FSMA."
NGFA also was active in working with Congress in drafting the FSMA law, noted NGFA President Randy Gordon, and has formed several industry working groups to develop comments on the preventive control proposed rules for human food and animal feed.
"The industry has developed effective product safety programs that are tailored to the operations of individual facilities," Gordon said.  "It will be vitally important that FDA's regulations provide the flexibility necessary for companies to continue to effectively address feed safety, as well as provide the necessary education and training of its inspectors and the regulated industry.  All indications are that the agency shares those views, and we'll be eager to work with FDA in implementing this truly fundamental change in its approach to food and feed safety."    

FDA guidance document on new regulations for color additives in petfood available

The US Food and Drug Administration made available a document to help small businesses comply with regulations on declaring color additives in food for animals.
The Guidance for Industry #223, Small Entity Compliance Guide - Declaring Color Additives in Animal Foods, provides background information plus answers to questions on the 2011 regulation, which requires all color additives subject to FDA's certification process be listed on product labels for petfood and animal feed. All manufacturers of petfood and animal feed must comply with the regulation by November 18.
FDA published a rule in the Federal Register (76 FR 29701) on November 17, 2011, which amended its regulations concerning the declaration of certified color additives on labels of petfoods and animal feed.

No further FDA extensions allowed on FSMA deadlines, judge rules

The US Food and Drug Administration can no longer extend deadlines on releasing policies mandated by the Food Safety Modernization Act, according to a judge's ruling in the US District Court of Northern California.
In the Center for Food Safety's lawsuit, originally filed in August 2012, Judge Phyllis Hamilton sided with the Center for Food Safety in her ruling against FDA over FSMA deadlines, which were originally ordered by Congress to be completed in July 2012.
"The Court ruled that FDA violated the law in April 2013, and set an injunction remedy in place in June, with new deadlines for draft and final rules," the center wrote in a press release. "[In July], FDA moved for reconsideration or a stay of the injunction with regard to the deadlines for two of those rules, food transport safety and intentional adulteration. Judge Hamilton denied FDA's motion and kept firm the dates for completion of all the rules."
"The court understands the FDA's position and is in sympathy with it, but remains of the opinion that the dispute here is between the FDA and Congress," Hamilton said. "This court is unwilling to grant extension after extension, or to permit the FDA to continually delay publication of this rule, in the face of the clear Congressional directive that this be a closed-end process."

FDA extends comment periods on two proposed FSMA rules

FDA issued Federal Register notices to extend the comment periods on the proposed rules for Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food, and Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption for 60 additional days until November 15.
This is the second and final extension of the comment period for these two rules, part of the Food Safety Modernization Act. The extension of the comment period also applies to the information collection provisions associated with the proposed rules.
FDA extended the comment periods to allow those interested the opportunity to consider the interrelationships between the proposals, published January 16, and the two new proposed rules, published July 29. These new rules include the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals, and the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies to Conduct Food Safety Audits and to Issue Certifications.

Consumer call for pet retailers to post petfood, treat recall warning signs

After a number of voluntary recalls of chicken jerky pet treats made in China, pet owners are asking retailers for accountability in warning consumers of products recalled or thought to be potentially harmful by the Food and Drug Administration. 
As part of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act, retailers are required to display visible warning signs at their registers when FDA identifies a "reportable food" for people or animals that could "cause serious, adverse health consequences or death."
However, some consumers whose pets became sick or died after consuming the treats say pet retailers are not following this rule and are calling for signs to be posted immediately after the treats or products are recalled or deemed potentially dangerous by FDA.
"All you need is an 8 x 11 piece of paper that can be posted at cash register that says 'this food has been recalled,'" said Tony Corbo, a lobbyist for the food program at Food & Water Watch.
There is no way to tell how many stores are complying with the law or not, making it difficult to implement the law.
Despite earlier recalls of Del Monte's Milo's Kitchen and Nestle Purina's Waggin Train and Canyon Creek Ranch chicken jerky treats, FDA says FSMA guidelines for posting warning signs are not applicable to these types of voluntary recalls because the treats are currently not considered a "reportable" food. And, even for items considered "reportable," such as Salmonella detected in dog food, FDA does not have a plan in place for monitoring stores that post or do not post a warning sign.

FDA releases third Reportable Food Registry Report

The US Food and Drug Administration has made its third annual Reportable Food Registry Report available.
The Reportable Food Registry Report summarizes the Registry’s third year of operation, from September 8, 2011, to September 7, 2012). It found that the Registry tracked 224 primary reports – initial reports about a food safety concern; 609 subsequent reports from suppliers or recipients of a food for which a primary report was submitted, and 262 amended reports to correct or add information to reports already submitted. 

Court rules FDA failed to comply with FSMA rulemaking schedule

On April 22, a Federal Court sided with two nonprofit organizations when it ruled that the US Food and Drug Administration failed to comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act's mandatory rulemaking schedule.
After failing to meet a July 2012 deadline that required FDA to promulgate seven new regulations covering extensive food safety topics, the Center for Food Safety and the Center for Environmental Health filed a complaint against FDA in the US Federal District Court for Northern California.
In the complaint, the two groups alleged that FDA had unlawfully delayed issuance of the new rules and asked for relief. FDA argued that it has been working diligently on the regulations and broke no law.
However, according to the court's ruling: "FDA is correct that the purpose of ensuring food safety will not be served by the issuance of regulations that are insufficiently considered, based on a timetable that is unconnected to the magnitude of the task set by Congress.” Noting that any schedule the Court were to set “will necessarily be arbitrary,” the Court ordered the parties “to meet and confer” and to submit to the Court “a joint written statement setting forth proposed deadlines” by which the regulations will be issued by May 20.
Parties may submit written comments to the proposed rules up to May 16. 

FDA budget increase proposed for implementation of FSMA

President Barack Obama has requested US$4.7 billion for the US Food and Drug Administration's budget for implementing and managing the Food Safety Modernization Act. 
The request in his fiscal 2014 budget is an increase of US$295.8 million from FDA's 2012 budget. Of the funds requested, 94 percent would come from user fees, including current fees for food facility registration and inspection, and inspection of food importers, as well as a proposed fee to support FDA's food contact substance notification program, which would generate US$4.458 million. The remaining portion would be funded through FDA's budget authority. 

RECALL: Kasel recalls all dog treats manufactured at Colorado, USA, facility

Kasel Associated Industries, a manufacturer of pet treats and chews, is voluntarily recalling all products manufactured at its Denver, Colorado, USA, facility from April 20, 2012, through September 19, 2012, due to possible Salmonella contamination.
Recalled dog treat brands include: Boots & Barkley, BIXBI, Nature’s Deli, Colorado Naturals, Petco and Best Bully Stick items.
The recalled dog treats were distributed through various retailers across the US between April 20 and September 19. The treats contain lot numbers with either a one-year or two-year "Best By" date. A complete list of all products, with UPC codes and lot numbers, can be found on the US Food and Drug Administration's website.
Kasel Industries says it has not received any reports of illnesses to date in connection with these products.
Consumers who have purchased any listed products should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact Kasel Associated Industries at +1.800.218.4417  Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. MDT.

Conference Session: How to prepare for -and survive- an FDA Inspection

Originally presented at Petfood Workshop 2011, Robert McDonald of Food Safety Validation helps you plan for an inspection, surprise or otherwise, from the Food and Drug Administration or other regulatory authorities.

This one-hour session provides participants with information on your legal rights before, during and after an inspection. McDonald will also share tips on surviving the experience with your business, reputation and sanity intact.

For $49.99, participants receive:

• Unlimited online access (log on any time – 24 hours a day –to view the session)
• Certificate of completion

About the Presenter

Robert McDonald, managing director of Food Safety Validation, has been involved with the food industry throughout his career and has worked with such companies as McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Marriott and Hilton as well as many food trade associations on a national and international level. He holds a juris doctor degree from Georgetown University.

Check it out!