The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) hosted a full-day Phase I “Food Safety Modernization Act – Building a Foundation for Compliance” seminar at the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). Phase I—out of a three phase program—is designed to educate and update feed and pet food manufacturers and ingredient suppliers on the various components of the new law. Nearly 120 IPPE attendees attended the high-energy training.
“The implementation of the proposed FSMA rules has been a huge undertaking for the feed and pet food industry, and it is important for industry professionals to understand how to comply with the different requirements,” said Dr. Henry Turlington, AFIA director of quality and manufacturing regulatory affairs.
Turlington opened the seminar with an overview of the newly proposed FSMA rules and what the regulatory changes mean to the feed industry. He further discussed AFIA’s recommendations for complying with the new law and how the organization will best assist its members during the implementation process.
Information was provided on how to build a solid foundation with current good manufacturing practices, key components of a supplier verification program, what is required for an animal food safety plan and why having a plan in tact would be beneficial to the facility. Highlighting two key components, recall plan and training program, Turlington stressed the importance of implementing both for preventative measures.
Phase II of the FSMA trainings are slated to take place in 2015 and are designed to provide feed and pet food industry professionals with the next steps in the implementation process.
Photos from the event can be found here:
2015 International Production and Processing Expo Photos
