Global public health organization and leading food safety service provider NSF International has introduced a new audit that helps the animal feed industry evaluate compliance with the expanded requirements under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
As the global supply chain becomes more complex, animal feed is being increasingly regulated, and FSMA includes requirements specific to animal feed, pet food and feed ingredients.
NSF International developed the FSMA Readiness Audit for the Feed Industry in response to the FSMA regulations requiring animal feed and animal feed ingredient manufacturers to develop current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls (HARPC) for food for animals.
This independent, third-party audit assesses a business against the FSMA requirements to help prepare for an FDA inspection. The one-day audit takes a preventative and risk-based approach in assessing a company’s facilities and operating procedures. The first half of the audit assesses cGMP requirements that specifically address the manufacturing, processing, packing and holding of animal feed and feed ingredients. The second half of the audit looks at the operation’s food safety plan, which includes a hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls for mitigating those hazards.
“FSMA readiness is essential for the feed industry to meet this new regulatory requirement,” says Robert Prevendar, NSF International managing director of global supply chain food safety. “With more than 70 years of experience in food safety plus expertise in feed safety and FSMA rules, NSF International helps to ensure that companies throughout the supply chain are well prepared to meet the new FSMA animal feed requirements.”
NSF International offers additional services for the feed industry including auditing and certification to:
- The Safe Feed/Safe Food Certification Program, which assists feed operations in implementing effective feed safety management systems
- Other Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked standards, such as SQF, FSSC 22000 and PAS 222, which have introduced certification options for feed ingredients
- GMP+ B2/B3 feed safety certification, which integrates ISO quality management requirements, HACCP and other elements
In addition, NSF International offers a FMSA readiness audit for food for human consumption.