AIB Newsletter
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MARCH 2013
IN THIS ISSUE
ISSUE #102 Editor: Kerry Beach
FSMA Hotspot Sanitation Sense Industry News AIB Membership January/February AIB Update Publication Food Safety Poster of the Month Featured Product Featured Seminars
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FSMA Hotspot FDA Issues International Food Safety Capacity-Building Plan under the Food Safety Modernization Act Section 305 of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) calls on FDA to develop a comprehensive plan to expand the technical, scientific, and regulatory food safety capacity of foreign governments and their respective food industries in countries that export foods to the United States. The International Capacity Building Plan meets the Section 305 requirement by incorporating FSMA’s principles of comprehensive prevention, riskbased resource allocation, and partnering.
FDA Updates Administrative Detention Guidance Document FDA has updated its administrative detention guidance document, which provides information about its authority to order the administrative detention of human or animal food under section 304(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Congress originally established this authority in the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 and amended it in January 2011 as part of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.
This Plan provides a strategic framework for FDA’s international food safety capacity-building activities. It outlines goals, objectives, and key actions that will provide a framework for the FDA in setting priorities and managing international food safety capacity building programs. The Plan will also enable all stakeholders to see the breadth of food safety capacity-building efforts on the part of FDA. It charts a direction for how FDA will prioritize its capacity-building efforts based on risk, coordinate with other partners to avoid duplication of efforts, and to broaden the reach of technical assistance and capacity-building efforts. FDA will use data to develop strategies, allowing the agency to make decisions about capacity-building based on identifiable needs, while also allowing the agency to measure the impact of its efforts. The plan addresses the six elements required by Section 305 of FSMA by incorporating them into four key goals and objectives, as supplemented by additional themes. The Plan’s key goals and objectives are: • Ensure efficiency across the FDA Foods and Veterinary Medicine Program • Increase effectiveness through evidence-based decision making • Support the exchange of information between FDA and other foreign government agencies or other entities • Enhance technical assistance and capacity-building in food The full text of the International Capacity Building Plan is available at FSMA International Capacity Building.
Click here to read about the changes to the What You Need to Know About Administrative Detention of Foods; Small Entity Compliance Guide.
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FDA Seeks Comments on IFT Report on Product Tracing Pilots FDA is seeking public comment on a report from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) titled “Pilot Projects for Improving Product Tracing along the Food Supply System.” Section 204 of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires FDA, among other things, to establish product tracing pilot projects. In September 2011, FDA asked IFT to carry out the pilot projects under an existing contract. The pilot projects are designed to explore and demonstrate methods for rapid and effective tracking and tracing of food, including types of data that are useful for tracing, ways to connect the various points in the supply chain, and how quickly data can be made available to FDA. In addition to providing the findings of the pilot projects, the report contains IFT’s recommendations to FDA for improving the tracking and tracing of food. FDA now requests information to help form their own recommendations that will be offered in their Report to Congress, which also is required by section 204 of FSMA. FSMA also requires that FDA initiates rulemaking on recordkeeping requirements for high-risk foods to make tracing them easier. We will consider the comments received on the IFT report in implementing this FSMA provision. Comments can be submitted electronically, by going to http://www.regulations.gov and entering docket number FDA-2012-N-1153. For more information on submitting comments to the docket, please see Comment on Proposed Regulations and Submit Petitions. For more information: • Federal Register Notice: Implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Provision Requiring FDA to Establish Pilot Projects and Submit a Report to Congress for the Improvement of Tracking and Tracing of Food; Request for Comments and Information • IFT Final Report: Pilot Projects for Improving Product Tracing along the Food Supply System • Section 204 of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act
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Sanitation Sense Make sure your break room, laboratory, and processing ice machines are on your Master Cleaning Schedule. Slime and other bacteriological issues can grow in ice and become a potential food safety or quality problem.
Industry News ConAgra Foods, Cargill, and CHS combine flour milling businesses into new company, Ardent Mills Ardent Mills will: • combine the operations of ConAgra Mills and Horizon Milling to create a premier flour milling company. • connect the strengths and capabilities of ConAgra Foods, Cargill, and CHS to benefit bakery and food company customers with innovative flour and grain products, services, and solutions. ConAgra Foods, Cargill, and CHS recently announced a definitive agreement to combine their North American flour milling businesses to form Ardent Mills, a new flour milling company that will serve customers in the baking and food industries. Ardent Mills will bring together two of the nation’s leading and most respected flour milling companies: ConAgra Mills and Horizon Milling, a Cargill-CHS joint venture formed in 2002. The new company will take advantage of the combined assets, capabilities, and experience of ConAgra Foods, Cargill, and CHS to bring innovative flour and grain products, services, and solutions to the marketplace. To read more about the merger, visit: http://www. cargill.com/news/releases/2013/NA3071787.jsp.
CDC Finds Produce Most Common Cause of Foodborne Illness The Food Institute Report notes that some 46% of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. were attributable to produce, according to a study released in advance of publication in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases based on data from the Centers for Disease Control. The study investigates the specific causes of 13,352 foodborne disease outbreaks, which caused 271,974 illnesses, between 1998 and 2008. More than nine million persons in the U.S. experience a
foodborne illness in the U.S. every year, and CDC undertook the study to assist FDA in prioritizing limited food safety resources across a large number of foods. Continue reading at Supermarket Guru…
Scotland sets out to shape a new food body authority separate from the UK’s Food Standards Agency. A consultation on the roles, responsibilities, and functions of Scotland’s new food safety body was announced at the beginning of this month. Following the UK Government’s decision to reduce the scope of the UK-wide Food Standards Agency, an independent review panel was convened in Scotland, which recommends that a new body for food safety, food standards, nutrition, food labelling, and meat inspection be created in Scotland. The consultation is an opportunity for consumers, and industry, to tell the Scottish Government what they think the new food body should do, and how food safety and standards should be addressed in the future. In addition, former chief vet Professor Jim Scudamore has been asked to lead an expert group to consider lessons learned from recent incidents. The group have been asked recommend improvements in the food safety regime that can be made quickly, ahead of the creation of the new body. Supplementing the Scottish Government’s 12-week consultation, the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has opened its own consultation, proposing new legal powers that enable Scottish Ministers: • to make food businesses display official food inspection results • to create and enforce administrative penalties related to food/feed law • to detain any food when there are reasonable grounds to suspect that it does not meet food standards or labeling requirements More info about the Scottish Government’s consultation. More info about the UK’s FSA consultation.
Become an AIB Member AIB is restructuring our membership program to provide membership access to individuals and to offer greater benefits to all members and member organizations. Membership in AIB puts you in the company of baking and food industry leaders who find AIB a helpful, trusted partner in their industries. Membership in AIB provides individuals and organizations with networking opportunities, access to AIB Technical Bulletins, recognition opportunities, and supports AIB’s mission to provide research, technology, and education to the food service and baking industries. Since 1919, AIB’s commitment to provide quality service for every client has made us a trusted world leader in food protection, education, and applied baking science. We strive to meet industry and student needs, and apply in-depth knowledge to providing personal service. We believe in building lasting relationships. As the baking and food service industries change and evolve, AIB assists members and clients in preparing for and implementing new strategies and technologies that help meet inherent challenges. AIB helps companies manage risk and strengthen reputations, and individual memberships now make it easy for individuals as well as companies to partner with AIB to move their businesses forward. AIB Membership also supports and provides access to assistance with regulations; ingredient, equipment, and product evaluations; information and library research; and food safety and baking education. For more information on these new membership levels and benefits, or to become a member click here. The American Institute of Baking is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational and research corporation. All contributions to AIB are tax deductible.
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January/February Issue Of AIB Update Now Available Online AIB Update is included in Quality Assurance and Food Safety magazine, a bi-monthly publication. The January/February issue features articles about pet food safety, plant management, and food product transportation security. To read these articles, go to: https://www.aibonline. org/newsletter/Magazine/ Jan_Feb2013/index.html
March’s Free Food Safety Poster
Send us your questions AIB’s experts love to field your questions. Do you have a sanitation issue? Need help with a prerequisite program? Wonder what the best method is to prevent a recurring problem? We’d love it if you e-mailed us your questions. Not only will you receive a personal reply, but your question may also be featured in an upcoming issue of the AIB newsletter! Email aibnewsletter@aibonline.org and our team of experts will answer your questions and help you discover problemsolving methods.
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March’s free poster is now available online. Dock leveler pits can be a source of debris, product spillage, or other materials accumulation that can attract pests and lead to facility, equipment, and product contamination issues if they are not cleaned properly. Use the free Dock Leveler poster to provide refresher training to your employees. Display throughout your facility on restroom doors, break room tables, by time clocks, etc.
click poster to view larger
Featured Product NEW! Food Defense Support Pack
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AIB’s new Food Defense Support Pack is a comprehensive tool to help you assess security vulnerabilities and create an actionable defense plan for your Purchase Now food facility. The FOOD DEFENSE Support Pack provides crucial information SUPPORT PACK and support, as well as facility schematics, to use in security incident prevention planning, increased response capability, and ensuring business continuity. The Support Pack includes five unique steps that build upon each other to help food facilities create a polished end product that meets regulatory and customer requirements to protect your products from intentional contamination. Step 1 - Tutorial This presentation provides an overview of food defense planning and directions on how to complete Steps 2 and 3. Step 2 - Vulnerability Assessment (VA) Checklist The Vulnerability Assessment Checklist includes more than 250 questions to help you conduct a thorough assessment of your facility. Step 3 - Plan Template After completing the Vulnerability Assessment, begin developing your Food Defense Plan using the Plan Template. The Template is organized in sections relative to important contact information, policies/procedures, and physical areas of the facility. Step 4 - Desktop Review (1 hour) Upon completion of your Vulnerability Assessment and Food Defense Plan, an AIB Food Defense Specialist will provide a 1-hour Desktop Review.
Featured Seminars The most informative programs in the food industry are coming soon to a location near you! Kansas City, MO Harrisburg, PA Indianapolis, IN
Learn to develop, implement, and manage a food safety/sanitation program The Essential Prerequisite Programs for Food Plants seminar (formerly the Food Plant GMP/ Sanitation Workshop) is designed to provide a wealth of information to help managers and employees working in food plants understand their responsibilities for food safety and sanitation programs. The topics included in this offering are the most frequently requested programs and the source of questions received by our staff. Join us, along with others working in food plants, for a relaxed and highly interactive forum to discuss how to develop, implement, and manage a food safety/ sanitation program in a food plant.
Learn to develop, implement, and manage a HACCP program Following the Essential Prerequisite Programs for Food Plants seminar, AIB will present a practical, hands-on approach to developing your HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) program. The HACCP Workshop will take you step-by-step through the development, implementation, and verification process for HACCP.
Step 5 - Phone Consultation with AIB Food Defense Specialist (up to 1 hour)
Once the Desktop Review is completed, the AIB Food Defense Specialist will provide a 1-hour phone consultation to discuss findings from the Desktop Review and answer any of your questions about food defense planning for your facility.
Click here for Upcoming Seminars
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Integrated Pest Management for Food Plants JU NE 2013 4-5 Her shey, PA
AIB and RK Pest Management are bringing together leading pest industry experts to share ideas on improving understanding of science-based pest management strategies and advancing food plant Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. Gain a competitive edge by understanding the most current regulatory trends, strategies for insect management, and third-party audits that will affect your IPM program. IPM practitioners currently working in or looking to get involved with the food industry, as well as food plant managers and technicians will benefit from this course and gain the information needed to make the right IPM decisions. This course offers the unique opportunity to visit with vendors from leading pest management material suppliers to discover new trends and technology and share your unique challenges.
FSMA’s Preventive Controls proposed rule will require every food facility to have a “Qualified Individual” responsible for preparing the food safety plan, validating the preventive controls, reviewing preventive controls records, and providing reanalysis of the plan. A HACCP education is one of the key requirements for FSMA’s Qualified Individual. Make sure your program champion is qualified to fulfill their responsibilities with AIB’s HACCP training.
HACCP Workshop
Learn to develop, implement, and manage a HACCP program May July Aug …more
16-17, Harrisburg, PA 18-19, Indianapolis, IN 15-16, Portland, OR dates and locations online
AIB’s HACCP Workshop is a practical, hands-on approach to developing your HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) program, taking you stepby-step through the development, implementation, and verification process.
HACCP Assessments
Go beyond basic HACCP training July 23-24, Chicago, IL Dec 3-4, Atlanta, GA AIB’s HACCP Assessments course outlines the components of a HACCP Audit and teaches the skills necessary to conduct an internal audit of your own HACCP Program. Walk through the various phases of HACCP Auditing with qualified instructors and gain several tools for Verification and Validation of HACCP Programs that can be applied within your own organization. The course also provides guidance for conducting internal audits of various prerequisite programs to ensure that planned food safety assessments are complete.
Sign up today for AIB ENews Receive the monthly AIB Newsletter and current events by signing up for ENews. Visit our website at: www.aibonline.org and then click News Room. The AIB newsletter is published monthly by: AIB International • Editor: Kerry Beach • Issue #102, March 2013