SGS Informs on US Food and Drug Administration's Methodological Approach to Identifying High-Risk Foods
On 04 February 2014 the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) published their draft procedure to designate what are high-risk foods that require specific tracing requirements as defined per section 204 of the Food Safety Moderation Act (FSMA) (1).
Fairfield, NJ, March 20, 2014 --(PR.com)-- Draft Approach for High-Risk Foods Identification
The US FDA has designated seven different criteria and a score rating for each individual criterion in determining whether a product is high risk food or not. FSMA requires that both microbial and chemical hazards be considered as part of the high-risk foods designation.
- Frequency of outbreak and occurrences of illnesses
- Severity of illnesses – duration, hospitalization and mortality
- Likelihood of contamination
- Growth potential / shelf life
- Manufacturing process contamination probability / intervention
- Consumption
- Economic Impact
Score Rating for High-Risk Foods Identification
Every criteria section would be score from a low of 0 to a high of 9.
Example for Criteria 1: For hazards that have been involved in an outbreak and illnesses, the US FDA would use the information on outbreak and illness data from their database and that of the US Center for Disease Control dating back to 1998. For those items such as allergens and chemicals where there is no existing database information, the following criteria would be used:
For undeclared allergens:
0 = no occurrence of illnesses
1 = fewer than 10 illnesses per year
3 = 10 to 100 illnesses per year
9 = more than 100 illnesses per year
For chemical hazards:
0 = No evidence that the chemical occurs in the food commodity
1 = Little evidence of illnesses in the US
3 = Some evidence that this chemical may cause illnesses in the US
9 = Compelling evidence that this chemical causes illnesses in the US
Each criteria score would be added to determine whether or not the product is a high risk food or not.
For more information on FSMA and how to comment on the proposed regulations visit the FDA website (http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/default.htm).
References:
(1) US FDA - Designation of High-Risk Foods for Tracing (https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2014-02255.pdf)
(2) FDA’s Draft Approach for Designating High-Risk Foods (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/UCM380212.pdf)
(3) Outbreak Alert! Database (http://www.cspinet.org/foodsafety/outbreak/pathogen.php)
About SGS Food Safety Services
SGS is committed to keeping readers informed of regulatory news and developments. Leveraging a global network of laboratories and food experts, SGS provides a comprehensive range of food safety and quality solutions including analytical testing (http://www.sgs.com/en/Consumer-Goods-Retail/Food/Primary-Production/Testing-and-Analytical-Services.aspx), audits, certifications, inspections and technical support. SGS continually invests in world class testing capabilities and state-of-the-art technology to help customers reduce risks, and improve food safety and quality.
For further information please do not hesitate to contact the SGS experts.
Contact details:
SGS Consumer Testing Services
James Cook
Food Safety Technologist
291 Fairfield Ave, Fairfield
New Jersey 07004, USA
t +1 973 461 1493
Email: cts.media@sgs.com
Website: www.foodsafety.sgs.com
SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 80,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,650 offices and laboratories around the world.
The US FDA has designated seven different criteria and a score rating for each individual criterion in determining whether a product is high risk food or not. FSMA requires that both microbial and chemical hazards be considered as part of the high-risk foods designation.
- Frequency of outbreak and occurrences of illnesses
- Severity of illnesses – duration, hospitalization and mortality
- Likelihood of contamination
- Growth potential / shelf life
- Manufacturing process contamination probability / intervention
- Consumption
- Economic Impact
Score Rating for High-Risk Foods Identification
Every criteria section would be score from a low of 0 to a high of 9.
Example for Criteria 1: For hazards that have been involved in an outbreak and illnesses, the US FDA would use the information on outbreak and illness data from their database and that of the US Center for Disease Control dating back to 1998. For those items such as allergens and chemicals where there is no existing database information, the following criteria would be used:
For undeclared allergens:
0 = no occurrence of illnesses
1 = fewer than 10 illnesses per year
3 = 10 to 100 illnesses per year
9 = more than 100 illnesses per year
For chemical hazards:
0 = No evidence that the chemical occurs in the food commodity
1 = Little evidence of illnesses in the US
3 = Some evidence that this chemical may cause illnesses in the US
9 = Compelling evidence that this chemical causes illnesses in the US
Each criteria score would be added to determine whether or not the product is a high risk food or not.
For more information on FSMA and how to comment on the proposed regulations visit the FDA website (http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/default.htm).
References:
(1) US FDA - Designation of High-Risk Foods for Tracing (https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2014-02255.pdf)
(2) FDA’s Draft Approach for Designating High-Risk Foods (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/UCM380212.pdf)
(3) Outbreak Alert! Database (http://www.cspinet.org/foodsafety/outbreak/pathogen.php)
About SGS Food Safety Services
SGS is committed to keeping readers informed of regulatory news and developments. Leveraging a global network of laboratories and food experts, SGS provides a comprehensive range of food safety and quality solutions including analytical testing (http://www.sgs.com/en/Consumer-Goods-Retail/Food/Primary-Production/Testing-and-Analytical-Services.aspx), audits, certifications, inspections and technical support. SGS continually invests in world class testing capabilities and state-of-the-art technology to help customers reduce risks, and improve food safety and quality.
For further information please do not hesitate to contact the SGS experts.
Contact details:
SGS Consumer Testing Services
James Cook
Food Safety Technologist
291 Fairfield Ave, Fairfield
New Jersey 07004, USA
t +1 973 461 1493
Email: cts.media@sgs.com
Website: www.foodsafety.sgs.com
SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 80,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,650 offices and laboratories around the world.
Contact
SGS Consumer Testing Services
James Cook
+1 973 461 1493
www.foodsafety.sgs.com
Food Safety Technologist
291 Fairfield Ave, Fairfield
New Jersey 07004, USA
James Cook
+1 973 461 1493
www.foodsafety.sgs.com
Food Safety Technologist
291 Fairfield Ave, Fairfield
New Jersey 07004, USA
Contact
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