All food and beverage businesses must follow Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards to ensure the safety of their products. It’s important to stay up to date with FDA regulations and implement processes that guarantee your business is meeting those standards. Let’s take a look at some of the steps you can take to make sure you are in compliance with the FDA.
Follow Good Manufacturing Practices
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are a set of guidelines established by the FDA to ensure that food and beverage products are safe for human consumption. GMP requires businesses to have protocols in place for areas like sanitation, staff health requirements, product testing, and more. The goal of GMP is to reduce the risk of contamination or spoilage so that consumers can be confident that the food they purchase is safe for them to consume.
Train Employees on Food Safety
It’s essential that all staff members understand basic food safety principles like proper handwashing, avoiding cross-contamination, and preventing spoilage. Make sure all employees receive training on how to handle food properly, as well as information about potential risks from bacteria or other contaminants. Having knowledgeable staff who understand how best to handle food will help ensure your business is meeting FDA standards at all times. If you need help training your employees on best practices, hire an FDA compliance consultant for your business.
Keep Records Up-to-Date
Finally, it’s important that businesses keep detailed records of everything related to food production and storage – this includes employee training records, equipment maintenance logs, ingredient lists, expiration dates, test results, etc. It’s also important that these records are kept up-to-date in order for your business to remain compliant with FDA regulations. You should also make sure your staff understands what documentation needs to be kept and how often it needs updating; this will help reinforce good habits throughout your facility.
Meeting FDA standards isn’t always easy but it’s essential if you’re running a successful food or beverage business. Fortunately, there are steps you can take—like following GMPs and training employees on food safety—to ensure your business remains compliant with regulations at all times. Additionally keeping detailed records up-to-date will help minimize any potential issues arising due to lack of compliance with FDA standards. Taking these steps now can save you time and money down the line.
Emma is a freelance writer based out of Boston, MA. She writes most often on health and education. When not writing, she enjoys reading and watching film noir. Say hi on Twitter @EmmaSturgis2
