Facilities can use FDA guidance to comply with FSMA during the coronavirus crisis

Just as companies are adapting and settling in to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and its rules, enter the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. This worldwide crisis caused an uptick in consumer food demand that has disrupted the supply chain. Robert E. Brackett, Ph.D., vice president and director for the Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH) and part of the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA), says in some cases, such disruptions have impacted industry’s ability to comply with certain requirements.

“One example is substitution of ingredients in short supply with alternatives, and the impact on labeling. Another is the ability to obtain audits needed to verify supplier controls,” he says.

The FDA has responded to the COVID-19 crisis with a range of guidance for industry. Food safety and food supply FAQs, for instance, address common questions the food industry is asking about COVID-19 and its effect on food safety. The FDA states, “The purpose of this guidance is to state the current intent of the Food and Drug Administration. In certain circumstances related to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), not to enforce requirements in three food regulations to conduct onsite audits of food supplier verification methods are used instead.”

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