Food Safety

Special Report: Building Blocks of Food Safety

Food safety is one of the chief concerns of all who work in the produce industry. Nearly all operators have a food safety program and those that do not will almost certainly have to develop one as it is expected that the FDA’s Produce Food Safety Rule will require written food safety programs from producers. With all of the food safety requirements coming from regulatory bodies, buyers, consumers, advocacy groups and others, it may be appropriate to call a time out to reconsider what the basic building blocks of a robust food safety program should be.

PMA Regulatory Inspection Guide: For When the FDA Knocks

Keller & Heckman a premier international food and drug law firm with decades of experience has prepared for PMA; a short, easy to understand regulatory inspection guide to help produce businesses prepare for regulatory inspections in the new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulatory era. This guide written for non-lawyers provides practical information and checklists to help produce businesses prepare for an FDA inspection as well as what to do during and after a regulatory inspection.

Webinar: New Horizons in Plant Breeding & Genome Editing

With the need to feed an ever-expanding population, one area of technology we need to look more closely at is plant breeding. It is important to use the genetic capacity to create new varieties of fruits and vegetables that have increased yields, better nutrition, and improved flavor. Emerging breeding tools, like gene editing, open up exciting new possibilities for the creation of the next crop varieties. This webinar will provide an overview of breeding technology in non-technical language to help us set a vision of how technology might be employed in the produce and floral industries.

FSMA Overview

FSMA is a comprehensive top-to-bottom overhaul of the United States food safety regulatory framework. Currently, the seven major rules of the FSMA regulatory framework overhaul are intended to implement preventive measures across the food system significantly affecting how PMA members and the produce industry conduct business in the future.

FSMA update

This last quarter of 2016 saw work on the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) continuing to move forward. Recent developments include the publishing of Voluntary Qualified Importer Program final guidance and various draft guidance documents. PMA has also published a FSMA training calendar, available to members who need mandatory FSMA training on the various implementing regulations.