Registrar Corp

Registrar Corp to Offer FSMA Compliance Tools at the 2016 Food Safety Consortium

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Registrar Corp

Registrar Corp will be exhibiting at the 2016 Food Safety Consortium from December 5-9, 2016 at Table 132. Registrar Corp is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) consulting firm, and provides multiple tools to assist Food Safety and Quality Assurance Professionals with FDA compliance.

FDA Compliance Monitor

FDA’s Preventive Controls and Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) rules require registered food facilities and importers of food and beverages to monitor and document the compliance status of each of their suppliers, including whether each supplier is subject to an FDA warning letter or import alert. Registrar Corp’s FDA Compliance Monitor allows users to monitor their own facility and those of their suppliers for FDA compliance issues, including Import Alerts, Import Refusals, Inspection Classifications, and Warning Letters.

New users may sign up for a free 60-day trial at www.fdamonitor.com. No credit card required. Users may monitor unlimited number of facilities during their trial.

FSMA Wizard

Registrar Corp’s FSMA Wizard is a free tool to help you identify your possible requirements under the U.S. FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Your FSMA requirements may depend on the size of your business, its functions, the type of food it handles, and even its location! Simply answer a series of questions regarding your facility, and the FSMA Wizard identifies specific requirements that may apply.

Visit www.fsmawizard.com to determine your possible requirements today.

Other Compliance Services

  • In addition to these FSMA compliance tools, Registrar Corp also assists with the following services:
  • FDA Registration & Renewal
  • Labeling and Ingredient Reviews
  • Food Safety Plans
  • Food Canning Establishment (FCE) Registrations / Process Filings (SID)
  • Mock FDA Inspections
  • Prior Notice
  • US Agent Services
  • Detention and Import Alert Assistance

Contact Registrar Corp:
144 Research Drive Hampton, Virginia 23666 USA
Phone: +1-757-224-0177
Fax: +1-757-224-0179
Email: info@registrarcorp.com

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Final FSMA IQ Test Results: Part VI

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Thank you for participating in the final FSMA IQ test. For this round, a couple of the answers proved challenging for participants. At next week’s Food Safety Consortium, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in the FSMA IQ test, with additional questions to be asked. They will also have the chance to discuss the answers with industry experts. Prizes, which include gift cards and consultation services with FSMA experts, will be awarded based on the amount of correct answers achieved. We hope to see you there!

  1. When necessary following reanalysis, you must demonstrate the control measures can be implanted as designed within 90 calendar days after production of the applicable food or within reasonable timeframe based on certain provisions. TRUE
    • 78% answered correctly
  2. You must implement corrective actions and corrections properly, including procedures to address the presence of organisms in ready-to-eat as a result of product testing. TRUE
    • 67% answered correctly
  3. Under section 117.150, you must implement corrective actions based on your determined response for all affected food as evaluated. FALSE
    • Only 12% answered correctly
  4. Under FSMA, recall process must be completed for a recall or recall exercise and any reanalysis of the plan. FALSE
    • Only 14% answered correctly
  5. FSMA verification and validation requires that monitoring and corrective actions must be within 90 working days. FALSE
    • 42% answered correctly
  6. Under FSMA supply chain requirements, you must document approved suppliers. TRUE
    • 96% answered correctly
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FSMA IQ Test: Part VI

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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The final part of the Food Safety Tech series FSMA IQ Test is here. But first, take a look at the results of Part V. If you haven’t yet taken Part V, click here. Result of Part VI will be posted next week.

  1. CCPs previously established under HACCP or previous hazard analysis may be a preventive control under FSMA. TRUE
    • 95% answered correctly
  2. You must document all records to be included in records review under FSMA. TRUE
    • 89% answered correctly
  3. Product testing for pathogen or indicator organism is not addressed under FSMA verification and reevaluation. FALSE
    • 79% answered correctly
  4. Environmental monitoring for an environmental pathogen or indicator is always required under FSMA verification and reevaluation. FALSE
    • Responses here were nearly split: 51% answered correctly
  5. Under FSMA, you must conduct reanalysis of cGMPs at least every three years. FALSE
    • Only 21% answered correctly
  6. You must document justification of records not required by a food safety plan in a food operation under FSMA. TRUE
    • 61% answered correctly

 

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Mettler brochure

New Definitive Guides on Product Inspection Help Manufacturers Achieve Their Product Inspection Goals

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Mettler brochure

The new Product Inspection Guides from METTLER TOLEDO offer practical tips and advice to help manufacturers establish comprehensive checkweighing, metal detection, vision and x-ray inspection programs in their plants.  Updated with new content, each guide focuses on a specific inspection technology and explain how manufacturers in the food, pharmaceutical, and related industries can develop an effective programs to detect and remove contaminants, ensure the contents of a package is correct, and inspect integrity and labeling quality of products before they leave the manufacturing facility.

Available to download free of charge, the guides explain the basic operating principles and key features of each technology. They also contain up-to-date information on the latest innovations in product inspection solutions and provide vital assistance for manufacturers in selecting the ideal system for optimal performance.

Meeting Global Quality Standards, Legislation and Regulations

The guides show how a well-designed product inspection program can help manufacturers adhere to industry standards as well as meet retailers’ quality control requirements. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and local Weights and Measures regulations guidance are also included.

The pressures on manufacturers to produce consistent, high-quality contaminant-free products are relentless. These guides provide best-practice advice on how to set up product inspection programs that satisfy legal and regulatory obligations, maintain product safety, and enhance brand values without compromising manufacturing speed or efficiency.

Featuring diagrams and illustrations based on real-life production scenarios, the practical guides explain everything a manufacturer needs to know about choosing, installing and managing product inspection systems. Those who already have a system in place will learn how to improve their working practices, while those who are new to the industry will discover there’s more to each technology than meets the eye.

Sabra hummus recall

Sabra Recalls Hummus Due to Possible Listeria Contamination

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Sabra hummus recall

Don’t miss the Listeria Detection & Control Workshop at the 2016 Food Safety Consortium | December 7–8 | Schaumburg, IL | Learn MoreFDA has issued a consumer alert following the recall of Sabra Dipping Company’s hummus products. The agency began an inspection of Sabra’s manufacturing facility in Virginia on October 31, collecting nine environmental samples that test positive for Listeria monocytogenes; FDA collected 18 additional environmental samples near food handling equipment on November 18, which tested positive for Lm. It’s also possible that the strain of Lm found in the facility is persistent in the company’s production environment, according to FDA.

“One of the strains of Listeria monocytogenes found during the recent inspection matches a strain found in a retail product sample collected in 2015, indicating this strain of Listeria monocytogenes may be persistent in the production environment.” – FDA

Sabra initiated a voluntary recall of certain hummus products distributed in the United States and Canada with “Best Before” dates on or before January 23, 2017. “Subsequent to the inspection conducted with the FDA, we implemented a thorough and extensive factory-wide cleaning and sanitation procedure, and beyond that, we continue to work very closely with internal and external food safety experts to identify any additional steps we can take to even further enhance our efforts,” according to a Sabra press release.

Hand

How Much Do Consumers Really Know about Food Safety?

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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Hand

Consumers think they’re more likely to get a foodborne illness from food they consume at a restaurant versus food they prepare at home, and they’re also more worried about contamination of raw chicken or beef than contaminated raw vegetables.  These and other findings were part of an annual survey, conducted by FDA in partnership with FSIS and USDA, to assess and track consumers’ understanding of food safety handling techniques, along with their feelings and behaviors surrounding food safety. The findings can help the FDA determine its education efforts to help improve consumer food safety behaviors.

Nearly 4200 Americans participated in the survey between October 6, 2015 and January 17, 2016. The questions measured food safety behaviors such as handwashing and washing cutting boards; preparing and consuming risk foods; and food thermometer use. Highlighted findings among respondents include:

  • Rates of consumers owning food thermometers remains constant, but usage has increased for roasts, chicken parts and hamburgers over the past 10 years.
  • Handwashing rates remain constant or decreased between 2010 and 2016.
  • New finding: Only 35% of consumers wash their hands after touching handheld phones or tablets while preparing food.
  • 67% wash raw chicken parts before cooking; 68% wash whole chicken or turkeys before cooking. “This practice is not recommended by food safety experts since washing will not destroy pathogens and may increase the risk of contaminating other foods and surfaces,” according to FDA.
  • 65% of respondents had not heard of mechanically tenderized beef (Labeling required as of May 2016).

A full copy of the 49-page 2016 FDA Food Safety Survey is available on the agency’s website.

Sanitize without Water, Rinsing or Wiping

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One of the biggest challenges facing today’s food processors is hygiene and effective sanitation.  Manufacturers concerned about the impact of a recall are turning to a new system that converts alcohol into a non-flammable vapor, making it possible to sanitize surfaces that cannot be quickly sanitized by other methods.

This new system utilizes liquid carbon dioxide as a propellant to spray a fine alcohol mist. Using this process, oxygen is temporarily displaced by an envelope of rapidly expanding CO2 gas, rendering the vapor non-flammable. The patented technology, known as Non-flammable Alcohol Vapor in Carbon Dioxide (NAV-CO2), has recently stepped into the spotlight following the upswing of product recalls and outbreaks of foodborne illness across the nation.

“What makes NAV-CO2 technology unique is that it is non-corrosive, self-drying, and safe for food contact surfaces” says Robert Cook, of Biomist, Inc., the exclusive manufacturer of the technology.  “The ease of use allows one person to effectively sanitize over 4000 square feet in less than two hours. The vapor penetrates into cracks and crevices where pathogens hide, and disinfects areas beyond physical reach. For example, you can sanitize the interior of an electrical panel or between keys of a keyboard and kill pathogens without corrosion.  This can’t be accomplished with traditional sanitizing methods and chemicals.”

“Food processors are protecting their investments by utilizing Biomist systems” says Charles Carman, a quality assurance consultant who works with industry professionals. “Modern electronic packaging equipment is not compatible with corrosive sanitizers and wet-wash methods.  Biomist systems sanitize the sensitive components without damaging them. Food processors recover the investment many times over in fewer service parts and reduced down-time.”

For more information, call 1-847-850-5530 or log on to www.biomistinc.com.

FDA

FDA’s Offers Answers on Food Facility Registration

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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FDA

FDA has released a draft guidance to help food facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for consumption in the United States. Aptly titled “Questions and Answers Regarding Food Facility Registration (Seventh Edition): Draft Guidance for Industry”, the document is a 15-section Q&A addresses Food Facility Registration, of which the renewal period began on October 1 and ends December 31. The seventh edition of the guidance also adds information related to the Amendments to Registration of Food Facilities final FSMA rule.

The agency is accepting comments on the draft guidance until February 6, 2017.

Food Safety Law Firm Neumann Risk Services, LLC at the Food Safety Consortium

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Neumann Risk Services, LLC (NRS), IL, a law firm where law, food, and science converge—founded by global food safety attorney Melanie Neumann, J.D., M.S., will be participating in the 2016 Food Safety Consortium. Melanie Neumann will moderate and speak at “Ask the Experts” Panel and Discussion Group on the topic of Post-FSMA Compliance Challenges and Risk Management on Thursday, December 8th at 10:30 – 11:15 am at this year’s Food Safety Consortium. NRS focuses on food law and regulatory compliance and offers a dynamic combination of food safety and food law skills to provide a unique, specialized approach to understanding and implementing the changing global food safety regulations.

Visit our exhibit and meet with NRS to explore your needs and how NRS can help—especially regarding legal, regulatory, business and brand counsel and consulting topics such as: recall and crisis management, responses to regulatory actions,  advertising/labeling regulations, supply chain management optimization, FSMA compliance and implementation, supplier and customer contract matters, and other matters that require regulatory interpretation, legal assistance, and preservation of attorney/client privilege.

Let NRS advise your company on how to build holistic, global food safety programs integrated into enterprise risk management programs—all to protect and preserve the public health, business efficiencies, and brand reputation.

If you would like more information, please email info@neumannriskservices.com or call 507-828-4536.

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Part V: FSMA IQ Test

By Food Safety Tech Staff
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The following are the results of Part IV of the FSMA IQ Test. Haven’t taken it yet? Click here to take Part IV. Under the results is Part V of the IQ test, the results of which will be posted next week.

Part IV results:

  1. FSMA requires that verification and validation include a documented internal audit verifying monitoring of food safety plan, as prescribed, including all associated control instruments. TRUE
    • 95% answered correctly
  2. FSMA preventive controls does not require hazards be addressed under the HACCP plan. FALSE
    • 63% answered correctly
  3. The food safety plan does not require hazards that are unintentionally introduced within an operation’s processes. FALSE
    • 98% answered correctly
  4. You must implement written programs to conduct reanalysis of food safety plan as a whole at least every three years. TRUE
    • 84% answered correctly
  5.  A designated employee training must conduct the verification of the food safety plan, as needed. FALSE
    • 79% answered correctly
  6. Control limits must be included within the hazard analysis and preventive controls for HACCP. FALSE
    • 88% answered correctly

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