Supermarket Perimeter - December 2022 - 51

Most important, individuals with food allergies rely on accurate
FSMA represented a significant change in the way food is regulated
allergen information on product labels when making their purchasing
decisions.
Grocery fresh food departments handle many products and
ingredients that contain major food allergens, Eisenbeiser said.
Additionally, food preparation at retail differs from the manufacturing
environment. Oftentimes, for instance, multiple items containing various
major allergens are being prepared at the same time in a confined area.
Although these are big challenges, food safety and public health are
extremely important to retailers and they are up to facing them.
While providing customers with a wide variety of healthy and safe
foods is part of this, Eisenbeiser said, it also includes the responsibility
to notify customers with food allergies about the possible presence of
allergens in the fresh and prepared food departments.
" Training retail food employees on allergen awareness is important
to successfully implement a comprehensive allergen management
program in a retail food establishment and ensure associates are
equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to protect customers
with allergies. "
New traceability requirements
Looking ahead to 2023, FMI will continue to work with members on
implementation of the FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA),
Eisenbeiser said.
and produced, with over a dozen FSMA rules that have been
promulgated within the past decade. Most of the rules have been in
effect for several years, but FMI continues to support members' efforts
to safeguard the food supply and assure all food is as safe as possible,
she said.
One area in particular that FMI has been focused on is ensuring that
supplier programs are strong.
" Supplier programs play an important role in assuring food safety
and are a regulatory requirement under FSMA, " Eisenbeiser said.
" It's critical that food safety is kept top of mind and that companies
purchase products from reputable vendors that have implemented
strong food safety management programs and meet all food safety
regulatory requirements-such as the rules established by FSMA - and
are certified and have annual audits from a GFSI program, such
as SQF. "
The traceability rule in response to Section 204 of FSMA, finalized in
November, was one of the last remaining rules to be published under
FSMA, and it represents a significant change in the recordkeeping
requirements for the food industry, she said.
FMI is working diligently to educate the food industry on what the
food traceability rule requires.
" As part of this effort, we plan to develop tools and resources to help
FMI members comply with the rule. "
Standard
Bakery/Deli Service
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Covered by one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 5,330,064; 5,386,787; 5,471,922; 5,503,087; 5,628,522; 5,957,309; 6,149,120; 6,322,180; 6,366,313; 6,474,757; 6,974,042; 7,419,063; 9,440,667;
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