FSMA compliance now required - What’s next?

The first major compliance date for preventive rules for human and animal food under the F.D.A. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was Sept. 19. As of that date, larger businesses must comply with new standards; principally, manufacturers must meet preventive control and Current Good Manufacturing Practice (C.G.M.P.) requirements, and animal food companies must meet their specified C.G.M.P.s. The Food and Drug Administration in recent days issued the first draft guidance documents providing details on how food companies may comply with the new standards, and agency officials advised the food industry on what to expect in the next few months under FSMA.