Food safety, traceability and sustainability blog

What You Need to Know About the FDA’s New Proposed Traceability Rule

The FDA has formally released the proposed traceability rule for FSMA section 204. Learn how the drafted legislation may apply to your own food safety, data and product tracing programs.

On September 21, 2020 the FDA released a long awaited proposed rule to achieve farm-to-table traceability in the food system. The drafted legislation falls under section 204 of the landmark Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) of 2011, and signals a major milestone for the agency’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative to accelerate transparency and consumer protection innovation within the food industry. Learn what requirements your business may become liable to, proposed timing of compliance dates and how to take the first steps to ensure your team is prepared to evolve with more advanced industry requirements. The full 55 page document will be available until January 21, 2021 for public comments and recommendations.

The FDA's Leafy Greens Action Plan

The FDA has published the 2020 Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan to combat foodborne illness and outbreaks caused by leafy greens.

The leafy green industry has fallen under intense scrutiny in recent years due to outbreaks like the 2018 romaine lettuce recall and the romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak of 2019. Between 2009 and 2018 alone, the FDA stated they have identified “40 foodborne outbreaks of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infections in the U.S. with a confirmed or suspected link to leafy greens.” The impact of these outbreaks on both public health and food businesses has surfaced persistent vulnerabilities in the leafy greens industry’s food safety practices, which investigations found to be compounded by poor visibility into a complex supply chain.

2020 FSMA Dates for Food Businesses

As a new decade begins, it is important to ensure your food safety “house” is in order. Many Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA) deadlines have already passed, meaning that most food brands are required to be FSMA compliant today. For smaller businesses, specifically, there are a few key dates still on the horizon.

A Food Brand's Guide to: The Transparency Today's Consumers Need

Grasp key findings from FoodLogiQ’s survey of over 2,000 consumers in our latest E-Book, “A Food Brand’s Guide to What Consumers Care about in the Age of Transparency."

The consumer mindset about food has changed significantly in recent years. While diet fads come and go, consumers’ interest in healthy ingredients and concern about the origin of their food has graduated from a passing trend to a full shift in public consciousness. We are now living in an age of transparency.

The Records You Need Under the Foreign Supplier Verification Program

Make sure your relationships with foreign suppliers are compliant under the FDA’s Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) by reviewing a full list of required records.

It just got a little easier to see the documentation you need when managing foreign suppliers. The FDA has published an up to date list of the records required for the FSVP, a rule established under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to ensure companies importing foreign food products are compliant with US food safety standards.