As part of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) commitment to help businesses within the food supply chain comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act, the agency recently announced the release of a Food Safety Plan Builder. The new feature is a software tool designed to help owners and operators of food facilities create a food safety plan with step-by-step instructions. The software was primarily developed to help companies organize their food safety information and minimize the burden of creating a food safety plan.
Those who download the tool are taken through a series of sections in the application that prompt the user to answer questions and fill in information specific to their business and facility. Once all the sections have been completed, operators will have a food safety plan to use and provide with the FDA conducts an inspection.
The Food Safety Plan Builder guides the user through the following sections:
- Facility Information
- Preliminary Steps
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) & Prerequisite Programs
- Hazard Analysis & Preventive Controls Determination
- Process Preventive Controls
- Food Allergen Preventive Controls
- Sanitation Preventive Controls
- Supply-Chain Preventive Controls
- Recall Plan
- Reanalysis of Food Safety Plan
- Food Safety Plan Report
- Signature
- Recordkeeping Procedures
- Important Contacts
- Supporting Documents
In addition, the FDA has created training videos for the tool and a user guide to assist operators.
Food safety is a shared responsibility for everyone in the food chain. With that in mind, the independent supermarket industry has long been committed to the safety of the U.S. food supply and ensuring that it continues to be the safest in the world.
To download the Food Safety Plan Builder, click HERE.
