When FDA Knocks: PMA Resources Help Industry Navigate Regulatory Inspections

Do you know your rights and responsibilities when FDA shows up to conduct a regulatory inspection at your food facility or farm? New resources — including a June 8 webinar and how-to guide — are now available from Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) food safety team.

"There is no question that our industry must be committed to food safety, because so much is at stake. These new PMA resources help produce businesses to be prepared for food safety regulatory inspections, and to politely but firmly manage the process,” said Gurmail Mudahar, Ph.D., vice president of R&D and food safety for Tanimura & Antle, and a member of PMA’s Science & Technology Committee. “Being prepared with a food safety plan that you can be proud of — as well as with up-to-date records that are readily available for review — are the keys to quickly and painlessly getting through an inspection.”

PMA’s food safety team partnered with the international food and drug law firm Keller & Heckman to produce the short, easy to understand “Food Regulatory Inspection Manual.” Designed for nonlawyers, the manual informs, guides and provides an employee training reference for produce industry farms and food facilities. It includes practical information and checklists to help produce businesses prepare for an FDA inspection, as well as what to do during and after an inspection. The guide is designed for C-suite executives and frontline food safety managers alike, and is relevant to businesses across the supply chain to develop a company inspection manual.

“An FDA inspection need not be a stressful experience. The key to a successful inspection is preparation – and the time to prepare is right now, before FDA knocks,” said Leslie Krasny, Esq., the Keller & Heckman attorney who authored the guide.

PMA will host a free webinar featuring Krasny on June 8 at 2-3 pm ET to introduce the guide. To register, visit www.pma.com/events/webinars/2017/fda-knocks. Download the “Food Regulatory Inspection Manual” and view other resources at www.pma.com/topics/food-safety.